“24 Flavours of Sichuan” Photo Exhibition by David Hartung

The 24 Flavours of Sichuan Photo Exhibition explores the rich history, culture, and cuisine of China’s Sichuan Province, one of the world’s most unique and flavourful culinary regions. Sichuan, once part of the Ancient Tea Horse Trail, has benefited from centuries of trade and cultural exchanges with Tibet to the east and Yunnan to the south. These trading routes remain vibrant today, with additional influences from other parts of China and beyond.

The warm and welcoming people of Sichuan are always eager to share their culture and cuisine, perhaps due to the region’s long history of contact with people from other areas. Sichuan’s diverse microclimates, soil structures, and water sources have enabled the growth and production of unique ingredients and flavour profiles that are essential to every Sichuan dish. However, it’s not just the ingredients that make Sichuan cuisine so distinctive; it’s the combination of the region’s long history, culture, terroir, and cooking techniques that meld together to form those iconic flavours.

Photographer David Hartung travelled to Sichuan numerous times, meeting with chefs, farmers, teahouse owners, pickled vegetable makers, traditional salt makers, baijiu distillers, and tofu makers. He also visited numerous traditional markets, meat smoking factories, and meat drying facilities throughout the province.

The exhibition’s title, “24 Flavours of Sichuan”, draws inspiration from the traditional concept used to describe the wide range of tastes and flavours found in Sichuan dishes. The photo exhibition aims to provide viewers with an in-depth look at the many aspects that have contributed to the development of one of the world’s great cuisines. The exhibition will feature 30 colour and black-and-white photographic images captured by David Hartung during his travels. A coffee table-style book will be released in conjunction with the exhibition, further showcasing the rich tapestry of Sichuan’s culinary heritage.

About David Hartung 

David Hartung is an American photographer who lived and worked for most of his adult life in Asia. First drawn to the continent at the age of 22 he fell in love with the diverse cultures that each country presented him. With an early enthusiasm for photojournalism he set out to document these cultures which he could see were quickly changing before his eyes. His work has appeared in TIME magazine, Newsweek,   Businessweek, Forbes, AsiaWeek, Travel & Leisure, DestinAsian, Business Traveller,  The New York Times, as well as other numerous international publications. In addition to his editorial work he has published several books which include, Macau: Work in     Progress, Cafes of Taipei, The Grand Lisboa-The Making of an Icon, Macau Remembers, and is currently working on a coffee table style book about Sichuan cuisine. David’s work has also been exhibited in galleries in Hong Kong and California.   For the past decade David has kept in focus on the culinary world documenting extraordinary cuisines, chef portraits, cocktails and spirits, and all things food related.

Organiser

Sponsor 

Cultural Development Fund

of the Macao SAR