Mi Xun Teahouse Unveils a New Shanshui Dining Series

A Journey Through Mountain and Water

Chengdu, China — Mi Xun Teahouse, awarded a prestigious MICHELIN One Star and proudly holding Chengdu’s only MICHELIN Green Star, launches its new Shanshui dining series this May with an inaugural chapter titled Mount Qingcheng & Dujiangyan. This contemporary vegetarian dining experience, inspired by the intricate seasons and breathtaking landscapes of the nation, expertly reimagines familiar ingredients into innovative dishes that surprise the senses with their rich flavors and layered meanings.

Rooted in Mi Xun Teahouse’s long-standing dedication to sustainable vegetarian Sichuan cuisine, the Shanshui menu reflects the same guiding principles as its acclaimed Farm-to-Table MICHELIN Tasting Menu. For over ten years, Chef de Cuisine Steven Tang and his team have prioritized sourcing seasonal ingredients from farms near wild panda habitats, adopting a zero-waste philosophy. Shanshui is more than just a menu—it’s a modern interpretation of China’s ancient reverence for nature, a cultural theme expressed through art and literature, now brought to life through dining at Upper House Chengdu.

Surveying China’s diverse landscapes—from mountains and rivers to rich plains—each chapter highlights a particular region. It features local ingredients and traditional methods that are perfected over time, showcasing flavors that are strongly tied to the land and seldom found in other places.

Opening Chapter: Mount Qingcheng & Dujiangyan

The opening chapter focuses on a local setting. Located on the Chengdu Plain, Mi Xun Teahouse overlooks Mount Qingcheng and the Dujiangyan irrigation system, both of which have historically influenced the region’s ecology, farming, and lifestyle, and still impact the ingredients chosen for cooking.

Mount Qingcheng, known as one of Taoism’s birthplaces, protects the region, while Dujiangyan manages the Min River harmoniously with the land. These sites embody Taoist ideas of living in harmony with nature, supporting the soil, climate, and agricultural cycles throughout the plain. This philosophy aligns with Mi Xun Teahouse’s vegetarian dishes, which emphasize simplicity and natural flavors.

The 8-course set dinner, complemented by wine and tea, highlights the Four Culinary Treasures of Mount Qingcheng: spring water pickles, ginkgo, Dongtian Tribute Tea (Qingcheng green tea), and kiwi wine.

Chef Steven preserves age-old regional cooking traditions. He quick-pickles seasonal vegetables in Mount Qingcheng’s spring water for a day or two, a method locals call x?z?o pàocài, or “bathing pickles.” This rapid fermentation maintains the vegetables’ crispness and freshness, imparting a subtle tang that stimulates the appetite. The appetizers include ginkgo nuts paired with Hericium mushrooms and seasonal greens, showcasing familiar flavors with a lighter approach.

This menu features a distinctive pairing of tea and wine, with Head Sommelier Cederic Yao sharing the stories behind each choice. A notable highlight is the historic Dongtian Tribute Tea, the region’s most revered offering to royalty since the Tang Dynasty, once reserved exclusively for emperors and Taoist monks of Mount Qingcheng. Its fresh, refined taste gracefully complements the entire menu.

Qingcheng kiwi wine, crafted in small batches from locally sourced Qingcheng kiwi, offers a gentle, aromatic enhancement. To deepen the experience, Cederic complements the Shanshui menu with a curated selection of Chinese wines, choosing bottles with unique regional characteristics. Together, they tell a story that reflects the land’s essence, embodying the spirit of mountains and water.