Deng Jie
Biography:
Deng Jie is a senior documentary director and producer with 23 years of experience in the industry. Her creative work focuses extensively on the intersection of food, history, and cultural identity, and she is a core creator of several of China's most celebrated humanities and food documentary series.
Her representative works include the A Bite of China series, the Once Upon a Bite series, the documentary feature film A Bite of China: Celebrating the Chinese New Year, the reality show The Best Markets in the World, and historical documentary series such as The Bund and Masters. With exceptional narrative depth and visual artistry, her works have accumulated over 5 billion views, averaging a score of 9/10 on Douban (China's leading film rating platform). Her productions have garnered numerous prestigious domestic and international awards, including the Magnolia Award for Best Documentary at both the 20th and 28th Shanghai Television Festivals, the Starlight Award for Best Documentary at the 22nd China TV Awards, and the Best Documentary Film at the China Academy Awards of Documentary Film. Her recent projects, Once Upon a Bite 4: Grain Planet and Milk: A History of Civilization, have further expanded the visual expression of global history through the lens of food.
Beyond film and television, Deng Jie is the author of the best-selling food culture book Authentic Local Flavors: A Bite of the New Year (CITIC Press). She also serves as a cross-disciplinary resident guest on CCTV psychology programs, dedicating herself to exploring the profound connections between food, social evolution, and human emotions through diverse media platforms.
Christiaan Stoop
Biography:
Born to Dutch parents in Germany, Christiaan's culinary journey has taken him all over the world with an insatiable curiosity for the art of cooking. That early spark led him around the globe, from Barcelona to Bray, New Delhi, Dubai, Paris, and finally Shanghai, shaping his distinct voice in the world of fine dining.
At just 26, Christiaan joined Taian Table as Chef de Cuisine in Shanghai. Only 18 months later, he was promoted to Executive Chef of both Taian Table Shanghai and Guangzhou, leading the kitchens to 3 and 2 Michelin Stars in 2025 alongside Stefan Stiller. That same year, he was honored with the 2025 Best Chef Award, receiving three knives — the highest distinction — marking his culinary presence on the world stage and celebrating his craftsmanship and vision.
Rachel Gouk
Biography:
Rachel Gouk is the founder of Nomfluence, a Shanghai-based food and drink guide, and Shanghai Burger Month, an annual month-long event dedicated to burger worship.
Originally from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Rachel has been working in the media industry across Chinese, English, and cross-cultural platforms in Shanghai since 2011. She is a writer, photographer, food & beverage marketing and branding consultant, and campaign marketing enthusiast. Over the years, she has spoken on F&B topics for CGTN TV, AccorHotels Greater China, To The Table KL, Feastcon, and ABC Australia, among others.
In 2018, she founded Nomfluence, a leading platform dedicated to Shanghai's dynamic dining and drinking scene. Through in-depth reviews, industry insights, curated city guides, and coverage of new restaurant and bar openings, Nomfluence has become a trusted resource for consumers and professionals alike. Beyond being a city guide, Nomfluence also provides an online booking service for restaurants — a hassle-free feature for non-Chinese speakers looking to make reservations, often coupled with exclusive deals. Nomfluence operates across a website, WeChat official account, WeChat Channels, Instagram, and Red Book.
In 2021, she launched Shanghai Burger Month, an annual month-long event. 12 Burgers, 12 Restaurants, 1 Burger Passport! Participants collect a Burger Passport at any participating restaurant, eat a burger and collect a stamp, and enter a lucky draw to win prizes. Over the years, it has developed into a fun-loving community of burger enthusiasts. In 2026, it is estimated that more than 1,200 people participated in the event with over 6,300 burgers sold.
Diao Wei
Biography:
Diao Wei is the Founder and Lead Designer of OHA Design and the Founder of OHA Family.
She received her bachelor’s degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and later completed her postgraduate studies at Domus Academy in Milan. At the core of Wei’s design practice is an interest in opening up the senses and exploring new depths of spatial perception. By reconfiguring the relationships between material, colour and light, she creates immersive spaces with a distinct emotional presence.
In 2013, Wei founded OHA Family in Shanghai, developing a series of restaurant brands and project spaces, including Bar No. 3, Dead Poet, OHA Eatery, 404, Blackbird, Maolago, PASS RESIDENCE, Holy Spice, and SFSF and restaurant Fu. For OHA Family, a restaurant is not simply a place to eat, but a space where shared dining, identity, local memory and cultural experience come into being. Through the integrated creation of food, space and interaction, Swing continues to explore vivid and genuine connections between people and food, people and space, and people with one another.
Han Zhuotong
Biography:
Han Zhuotong is a food experience designer, food culture researcher, and curator based in Shenzhen. Working across cultural contexts and disciplines, she creates food-centered experiences that weave together narrative, sensory design, and cultural research.
She holds a Master's degree in Food Studies from New York University, a Bachelor's degree in Art History and Studio Art from Skidmore College, NY, and received professional culinary training at Le Cordon Bleu Shanghai. With an interdisciplinary background spanning food studies, visual culture, and experiential design, Zhuotong translates cultural research into immersive concepts, multimedia narratives, and emotionally resonant creative frameworks.
Zhuotong is also the Co-Founder of Common Ground Food Design 共食设计工作室, a multidisciplinary creative studio in Shenzhen that uses food as a medium and design as a language to shape contemporary food experiences. Her work spans curation, experiential design, brand development, and product innovation, with a practice grounded in cultural sensitivity, conceptual depth, and human connection.