Chongqing - The best way to discover a city might just be through its kitchen. British chef Leandri Kerschbaumer recently explored Chongqing's local food culture, from visiting a traditional market to trying her hand at preparing authentic dishes.
"As a chef, you should never stop learning, and you should always be pushing yourself to be better," Kerschbaumer said. "Traveling and immersing yourself in the culture and doing experiences like this make you better."
Kerschbaumer, a rotational yacht chef, visited China independently. At Lan Breeze, a Sichuan cooking experience in Chongqing Liangjiang New Area, she explored a local market with founder Huang Bingjie, known as Carol, before preparing three Chongqing dishes.
Her visit comes as China's inbound tourism continues to grow, creating opportunities for experiences that take visitors beyond conventional sightseeing.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China recorded 154.5 million inbound tourist visits in 2025, up 17.1% from the previous year. Foreign visitors accounted for 35.17 million visits, while foreign nationals made 30.08 million visa-free entries, an increase of 49.5%.
Spending by overseas visitors is also rising. The Ministry of Commerce reported that overseas visitors spent 263.6 billion yuan (about 39.53 billion U.S. dollars) in China during the first seven months of 2026, up 27.8% year on year.
Social media trends such as "China Travel," which documents trips around the country, and "China Haul," which showcases purchases made in China, have highlighted different aspects of visiting the country. Cooking classes offer another way for travelers to explore local ingredients, food traditions, and everyday life.
From the market to the kitchen
Huang said the idea for Lan Breeze grew from her own interest in visiting local markets while traveling and her observation that more international visitors were arriving in Chongqing with an interest in its cuisine.
"I saw the trend in inbound tourism, and I noticed there wasn't a standard cooking class for international travelers," she said. "I thought I had the advantages to do this."
Huang said the experience had hosted around 30 to 40 international travelers, mainly from European countries, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The three-hour program begins with tea and conversation, continues with a visit to a local market and ends in the kitchen, where participants prepare three dishes and eat together.
"I don't want it to feel like a commercial program," Huang said. "I want them to take me as a local friend."
For Huang, the market is central to the experience because it allows visitors to observe how residents shop, interact and spend their time.
"The local market is a gateway for my guests to understand how we live in Chongqing," she said. "It's a community hub, not just a place to buy food."
The menu is designed to challenge the perception that Chongqing cuisine is defined only by intense spice. Participants prepare tomato-broth meatball hotpot, wanza noodles- a popular local noodle dish made with peas and minced meat- and a panda-shaped ice jelly dessert.
"I want to break the stereotype that Chongqing food is only spicy," Huang said. She also explains to visitors that while Sichuan and Chongqing cuisines share many ingredients and traditions, Chongqing food is "bolder," influenced by the region's weather, landscape and urban character.
Food as a cultural connection
Kerschbaumer said seeing live animals at the market gave her a clearer sense of where food comes from. She also found the cooking techniques and the opportunity to see inside a professional Chinese kitchen particularly interesting from a chef's perspective.
"For me, food is a gateway into a culture," she said. "I might not be able to speak the language, but out of respect for the culture, I'll try anything and everything."
She said she considers trying unfamiliar foods part of her responsibility as a chef and a way to respect the places and people behind them.
Kerschbaumer plans to adapt the dishes if she recreates them in the United Kingdom, where some ingredients may be difficult to find.
"As chefs, we're always adapting things to make them our own," she said.
Huang hopes to introduce more international visitors to Chongqing's food traditions by incorporating seasonal ingredients from areas beyond the city center. She also sees cooking classes as one of several cultural experiences that can help visitors discover the city beyond its best-known attractions.
"Cyberpunk is just the surface of the city," Huang said. "Once you come here, you'll find a lot more interesting things to experience."
After "China Travel" and "China Haul," could "China Cooking" be another way for international visitors to experience China's local culture?