The Chaozhou cuisine, a branch of Cantonese cuisine, has its own unique style for processing ingredients. Among the most favorite cuisines in China, it is famed for its freshness, mild yet diverse flavors and nutritional health, as well as a rich variety of ingredients. Signature dishes include beef balls, beef hotpot, marinated meat, oyster omelets, and claypot seafood porridge, to name just a few.

Residents from nearby regions often drive all the way to Chaozhou, just to delight their taste buds.

In addition to Chaozhou cuisine and gongfu tea, the city is home to another 15 national intangible cultural heritage items.

Longhu Ancient Village. CHINA DAILY

On the move

"Chaozhou people are a group on the move who have a strong attachment to their homeland," Huang said.

Since ancient times, many of them have taken advantage of the city's location and explored overseas, especially the Southeast Asia region, and created success stories of their own business careers. The group has even gained the name of Chaoshang merchants, which still carries weight in local communities.

Their experiences show that while Chaozhou people have stayed true to traditions, they have a bold, assertive and innovative side with a pragmatic approach to dealing with new circumstances.

From either moving from the Central Plain in ancient times, or relocating to other regions of China or foreign countries to seek new opportunities, they have kept a strong desire for a sense of belonging and cultural identity. So among Chaozhou people, the heritage and customs that embody their cultural inheritance are preserved better, according to Huang.