Invited to record "Ambassador's Family Dinner", Singapore's Ambassador to China Chen Haiquan shows off his cooking skills

Invited to record "Ambassador's Family Dinner", Singapore's Ambassador to China Chen Haiquan shows off his cooking skills 

https://www.zaobao.com.sg/entertainment/story20250114-5730592

2025-01-14

Lin Peibi

Shin Min Daily News

Singapore's Ambassador to China Chen Haiquan accepted the invitation of Hainan TV in early December last year and went to Hainan to film "Ambassador's Family Dinner". In the show, he not only showed off his singing voice, but also debuted his cooking skills, exerting "food diplomacy" to narrow the distance between the people of Singapore and China.

"Ambassador's Family Dinner" is the first documentary program about the life of Chinese ambassadors to China launched by Hainan TV in 2022. It has been produced for three seasons so far. The latest two episodes broadcast on January 4 and 11 are about Singapore's Ambassador to China Chen Haiquan.

Under the arrangement of the production team, after Chen Haiquan arrived in Hainan, his first stop was to visit the duty-free shop at Haikou Meilan Airport.  It turns out that from January 1 this year, Singapore Changi Airport International Management Investment Company and Meilan Airport jointly established the New China (Hainan) Airport Business Management Co., Ltd. to officially operate. According to the agreement, the two parties will carry out specific non-aviation businesses including taxable and duty-free business, catering, leisure, advertising and guest services at Meilan Airport.

Chen Haiquan said that the passenger flow of Meilan Airport will continue to grow in the future, so the cooperation between the two parties is a good thing.

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Accompanied by Roger, the Consul General of Singapore in Guangzhou, Chen Haiquan boarded the "Dad Tea Bus" that is now popular among local young people at the "Haikou Yundong Library", which is known as one of the top ten most beautiful buildings in China, and started a tea and food culture experience trip. On the bus, Chen Haiquan drank partridge tea and ate snacks while enjoying the beautiful scenery along the way. Finally, he played and sang a song "The Moon Represents My Heart" by himself, which marked a perfect end to this journey.

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Then, Chen Haiquan and his party came to the Qilou Old Street in Haikou and the Nanmen Night Market of Haida University to taste many authentic Hainanese delicacies. He was surprised to find that several of the foods seemed familiar, which brought back his memories of local delicacies.

For example, the Hainan dessert "Coconut Milk Qingbuliang" is very similar to the local "Momo Cha Cha" in terms of ingredients and cooking methods. What surprised him even more was that whether in Singapore or Hainan, pure coffee black turned out to be the same "Kopi O"!

Cooking Singapore Hainanese Chicken Rice with Local Ingredients

In return, Chen Haiquan also selected fresh ingredients from Hainan, such as Wenchang chicken, coconut milk, etc., and personally cooked several Singaporean delicacies, such as Singapore Hainanese Chicken Rice, Laksa, Kaya Toast, etc., for local friends to try.

 Chen Haiquan said in an interview with Shin Min Daily News via WeChat: "The friendship between countries lies in the friendship between people. I believe that food diplomacy can bring people closer... I usually participate in many different foreign affairs activities in Beijing and other provinces and cities, most of which are formal meetings or visits. Participating in the filming of the program is a rare opportunity for me and my embassy colleagues to introduce the beauty of Singapore's multiculturalism to Chinese friends through food diplomacy."

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Four days of filming to experience the customs and people of Hainan

Chen Haiquan also revealed that although he had visited Hainan twice before, he did not stay for long due to official duties. The four-day filming of "Ambassador's Family Feast" in December last year was the first time he really had the time and opportunity to experience the customs and people of Hainan, including visiting the ancient village of Yaocheng.

 After returning to Beijing, Chen Haiquan wrote a special message to express his gratitude to the leaders of Hainan Province and City, the merchants and people of Haikou and Sanya, and the team behind and behind the scenes of Hainan Satellite TV: "One episode of the show, two beautiful cities, Sanya and Haikou, four days of shooting, colorful, lingering, Qilou Old Street, eight delicacies, remember for a long time, very grateful!"

2025 is the 60th anniversary of Singapore's independence and the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Singapore and China. The 30-day visa exemption agreement between Singapore and China has been implemented in February 2024. Chen Haiquan said: "I hope that Chinese friends can know Singapore, a cultural melting pot with rich ethnic culture and multiple religious traditions, and feel the beauty of Singapore's multiculturalism! Singapore and several provinces and cities in China have direct flights. I also encourage Singaporean friends to not only go to Hainan to experience the beautiful scenery, but also go to various parts of China to appreciate the beautiful scenery and experience the culture of various parts of China if they have the opportunity. I hope this can continue to strengthen cultural exchanges and promote people-to-people exchanges."

"Ambassador's Family Banquet" will be launched on Tencent Video.