Bai Family Mansion

Beijing


Staff dressed as Qing dynasty nobles preside over this charming garden restaurant, serving 'official cuisine' – in other words, the emperor's leftovers. Qing royals were served hundreds of dishes at mealtimes, of which they would only eat a tiny proportion, the rest passing down through the ranks with not a crumb wasted. Several dishes on the menu were supposedly favourites of Cixi, the Empress Dowager.


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