On December 20, 2021, the 22nd anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland. In order to implement the "Framework Agreement on Deepening Strategic Cooperation between the Central Radio and Television Corporation and the Macao SAR Government", the 4K documentary "Taste of Macao", produced by the Central Radio and Television Station and with the strong support of the Macao SAR Government, was recently broadcast on CCTV.
From traditional Cantonese cuisine, exotic Portuguese flavors, to fusion of new Macau cuisine... Macau, a pocket city with an area of only 33 square kilometers, has carried an important history of the intersection, integration and circulation of Chinese and foreign cultures in the past few hundred years, and its flavors and stories have also evolved.
Under the successful practice of "one country, two systems", Macao cuisine has become a vivid example of contemporary exchanges and mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations and the harmonious integration of diverse cultures. The documentary "Taste of Macao" uses food as a pen to tell the story of Macao in the new era, and comprehensively displays the latest practical achievements of "one country, two systems" with Macao characteristics from the perspective of food culture.
It tells the spirit of Macau from the perspective of food
The aroma of raw rolling porridge is the taste of the early morning that opens the macao people's beautiful day, and it is also a vivid footnote to "good food but Macao Street"; there is no Portuguese chicken in Portugal, which is a new species after the traditional Portuguese diet elements are incorporated into Macao, and it is also the product of the homesickness of the Native Portuguese; the Macao pork bone pot goes all the way north, experiencing the fusion with the northern beef and mutton, and enjoying the praise of diners in the restaurant in Beijing; a bowl of beef doll noodles, which is a delicious taste that many drivers must eat after crossing the Gongbei port. Every morning in the early hours of the morning, they carry fresh vegetables to Macau, awakening two sleeping cities with fiery labor...
The taste of food, inclusive and ever-changing, is soaked with the thick smell of a century-old history, and also shows a new and reborn fusion posture. Behind the changes in the taste of a city is a flowing history of human migration, and it is also a vivid narrator of the story of the city - from the traditional Cantonese flavor, to the exotic customs of a hundred years ago, to the fusion taste of the new era. Under the "one country, two systems" system, Macao's urban taste is constantly changing, which reflects the current vigorous, confident and inclusive urban soul.
This change is both in the flavor and within the crowd. The 90-year-old man who dries shrimp paste every day adheres to the spirit of a craftsman and shows the soul of Macao's traditional food culture; the young man chooses to inherit the family business and become the fourth generation of the Huang Ji cake family, which is a new force for Macao's taste; at the family banquet of the Macanese, it is full of the new flavor of their fusion after taking root in Macao, and it is also their praise for the new life with food; the fish soup powder shop under the epidemic situation, the family is conscientious and diligent, and it is the warm companionship of the same boat; a large group photo of 100 chefs. It is not only a hard-core source of Macau's taste, but also a true embodiment of Macau's current urban spirit.
From the inheritance and development of traditional culture, to the multicultural sea of hundreds of rivers, from the mutual learning of civilizations blending east and west, to the cultural exchanges between the south and the north, from the people's fiery songs of life, to the ancient and modern symphony of a city, "Taste of Macao" tells the story of Macao full of fireworks from the perspective of food, with a series of delicacies full of human touch, showing the positive and upward spiritual outlook and vivid life style of Macao people in the new era, using creative techniques close to life and narrative techniques full of humanistic temperature, the story from the tip of the tongue to the tip of the audience's heart.
Sing songs for the people and celebrate Macao's return to the motherland with the real experience of the people
The times have provided an unprecedented broad stage for the prosperity and development of China's literature and art, and also require the vast number of literary and art workers to keep up with the pace of the times and feel the pulse of art from the pulse of the times. Based on the changes of the times, "Taste of Macao", co-produced by the Central Radio and Television Corporation and relevant institutions of the Macao Special Administrative Region, has made bold innovations in creative concepts and production models, and successfully created literary and artistic works that sing songs for the times and the people.
In terms of creative concepts, the works adhere to the narrative orientation of "seeing the big with the small", and at the same time integrate the unique historical context of Macao's modern and modern times into the real story, so that it can tell the life stories of ordinary people and the social development of Macao in the past 22 years under the "one country, two systems", and carry forward the positive energy of society and the main theme of the times. While fully exploring the complex relationship between food and phenology, customs, history and era, the creative team boldly innovated in the choice of specific narrative angles, and truly achieved the effect of "breaking the circle" and "out of the circle" of local cuisine.
In terms of creative mode, the creative teams of the mainland and Macao have given full play to their respective strengths, and close cooperation has ensured that the documentary content is innovative. The film involves Chinese, Portuguese, English, Japanese, French, Italian, Thai, Burmese, as well as Cantonese, Sichuanese, Cantonese rural dialect and other dialects. The creative team fully mobilized the enthusiasm of relevant local institutions, associations and all representative catering practitioners in Macao, overcame language and cultural barriers, and gradually expanded creative ideas. In the creative process, the local creative team in Macao played an irreplaceable role, and almost all the 4K aerial shots in the film were filmed by senior local aerial photographers in Macao. Macao's two post-90s orchestras, one in China and one in the West, played the theme song and soundtrack for the whole film.
It is in the process of continuous breakthrough and innovation that "Taste of Macau" can take delicious food as the starting point, so that the outside world can approach Macao, understand Macao and fall in love with Macao. The documentary gives full play to the advantages of audiovisual language, starting from a meal, a story and a heart, through telling the process of the birth, flow and prosperity of Macao cuisine, as well as the Macao story behind the cuisine and the changes of the times, reflecting the heavy historical accumulation, colorful cultural integration and humanistic atmosphere and vigorous spirit of the times. Starting from the level most closely related to the lives of the people, "Taste of Macao" truly and naturally reflects the great achievements of Macao's economic leapfrog development, continuous improvement of people's livelihood, social harmony and stability, and the intersection of diverse cultures in the 22 years since Macao's return to the motherland.
Author: Liang Junjian (The author is an associate professor at the School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University, doctoral supervisor)
Edited by: Shang Hui
Editor-in-Charge: Wei Zhong
*Wenhui exclusive manuscript, please indicate the source when reprinting.