LOCAL time-honored food brand Shenzhen Wugufang Pigeon King Restaurant near Dameisha Coastal Park is a popular destination for visitors and residents.

The restaurant has a total of four stores near the park, which were established by Yuan Jiandong, the fourth-generation inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of Dameisha Pigeon King cooking technique, according to Shenzhen Special Zone Daily.

Its earliest store opened in 1998. The restaurant’s signature dish, roast pigeon, has been listed in the intangible cultural heritage of Yantian District and Shenzhen. The restaurant sold nearly 5,000 roast pigeons in a day during peak periods.

As a representative traditional dish in Shenzhen, Wugufang’s roast pigeon is a fusion of the representative cuisine of Dapeng Fortress and Hong Kong cuisine, and has the characteristics of folk customs in Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

According to Yuan, the dish uses young pigeons that were at 21 to 23 days of birth and weigh about 325 grams. The cooking includes multiple procedures such as marinating and frying.

Yuan has cultivated dozens of inheritors and innovated more specialties on the basis of the roast pigeon dish and by combining the roast pigeon dish with the local culture.

At present, Yuan has turned his attention to pre-prepared dishes and developed dozens of dishes on the basis of the roast pigeon. “We are doing market promotions. Each day we hold one to two livestreaming programs to sell our food products,” said Yuan.

Pre-prepared food refers to finished or semi-finished dishes that are prepared in a factory and preserved by freezing or vacuum packaging after pre-processing.

Yuan said he had a plan to open stores in 100 communities to let more people learn about Shenzhen’s intangible cultural heritage food through pre-prepared meals.

Shenzhen has carried out a series of food-themed activities to promote the Cantonese cuisine in the city.

(Wang Jingli)