Chapter 262: Wangchuan Map Sample

The Wangchuan Map Sample is a large-scale, three-dimensional landscape cold platter, created by the famous chef Fan Zheng during the Five Dynasties period. It’s hailed as the pinnacle of cold dishes and the progenitor of all platters—a true work of art in culinary history!

And Fan Zheng’s inspiration came from Wang Wei’s masterpiece, the *Wangchuan Map*.

With his brush, Wang Wei sketched the twenty scenes of the Wangchuan estate where he lived in his later years, capturing all the mountains and rivers of the world on paper.

Fan Zheng, however, used a kitchen knife to carve fruits and vegetables into scenery, creating a unique scene on each plate that together formed a landscape.

It could be described as “a landscape on the food, poetry overflowing from the plate.”

But, of course, while the Wangchuan Map Sample is famous, a thousand years have passed since the Five Dynasties. This peak work of art had long been lost to the river of time.

Although many organizations later claimed to have recreated the Wangchuan Map Sample, with models even exhibited in museums, people always felt something was missing when they looked at them.

They were beautiful, yes, but not to the point of breathtaking astonishment.

So, people concluded that it was because technology had made cooking more and more advanced. Famous dishes that were hyped up in the past couldn’t necessarily compete with modern cuisine, which had more refined seasonings and more palatable ingredients.

Almost everyone believed this.

Until now, when Nan Zhi, with her own hands, shattered everyone’s perceptions piece by piece and showed them—

The old masters are called masters for a reason, and a pinnacle is a pinnacle.

Because…

The Wangchuan Map Sample that Nan Zhi made was completely different from the models in the museums!

The ingredients were stacked layer upon layer, rapidly forming one scene after another, just as the *Lantian County Chronicles* described: “The valleys were dense and winding, clouds and water seemed to fly and move, lush forests and tall bamboo, strange rocks and odd trees, courtyards and pavilions—not a single detail was anything but exquisite.”

On the white porcelain plates, mountain ranges were encircled by lush forests and dotted with pavilions and terraces. Clouds and water flowed freely, creating a tranquil and leisurely artistic conception. It was a visual feast that completely surpassed the bounds of imagination!

Moreover, just like that famous nun-chef from a thousand years ago, she made each porcelain plate a scene unto itself. They could be separated or combined. A total of twenty porcelain plates, twenty scenes, arranged at different heights to complement one another, were truly wonderful beyond words!

The children’s gasps of amazement were endless!

Some craned their necks or simply stood up to get a better look!

“Whoa! It’s so beautiful!”

“Is this a work of art?”

“Can we eat this?”

“I can’t bear to eat it!”

The live stream audience was also going crazy, with waves of bullet comments flooding the screen like a tidal wave:

[I’m slacking off at work and literally screamed out loud in my office!]

[Is this thing even real? I’m seeing Xingxings!]

[Compared to what Nan Zhi made, the replica of the Wangchuan Map Sample in the museum is a total joke!]

[I agree! If the Wangchuan Map Sample that Fan Zheng made in history was real, it must have looked exactly like this!]

[My national pride is suddenly off the charts! Forget kaiseki cuisine and all that Japanese aesthetic stuff! The classics from our ancestors are the best!]

[I feel like when it’s this beautiful, it doesn’t even matter if it tastes good or not.]

[Would you dare to eat a work of art like this?]

[I have to remind everyone, Nan Zhi isn’t finished yet.]

Although there were quite a few haters in the comments, sourly nitpicking that “good-looking doesn’t mean good-tasting,” they were quickly cursed out by other viewers.

But overall, the atmosphere in the comments was relatively harmonious, and it even drew out many lurkers who usually didn’t comment.

Some even shared the live stream link, telling everyone:

[Quick, go watch the hand of a god!]

Risking a virtual beatdown, they used this clickbait title to attract a ton of attention.

In the end, however, not a single person came back to question the original poster. Instead, they all praised them for a job well done.

Because the Wangchuan Map Sample that Nan Zhi created was truly a visual feast.

As this feast finally reached its conclusion, Nan Zhi poured the long-simmered stock into a thick earthenware pot. Holding it, she tilted the spout, and the scalding hot broth cascaded down like a waterfall from the heavens…

Someone shot to their feet in panic:

“Ah!”

“The pavilions are going to collapse!”

“I haven’t had enough of looking at it yet!”

“…”

Even the production staff, who absolutely should have remained silent, let out cries of dismay.

They all thought that the pavilions and terraces Nan Zhi had seemingly built so casually would never withstand the impact of the hot stock and would collapse in an instant, as if hit by a flash flood.

But in the end, the seemingly fragile fruits and vegetables stood firm, remaining motionless against the downpour of broth.

The stock flowed like rainwater through the gaps and pooled at the bottom of the plates. A gentle, beautiful steam began to rise.

In that instant, it was as if the dish had been infused with a soul, transforming from cold, lifeless ingredients into a vivid, vibrant landscape.

This was the true finishing touch.

[??? Am I seeing things? Those carved fruits and vegetables didn’t collapse?]

[Don’t tell me Nan Zhi secretly used glue…]

[Are you stupid?! It’s food! You can eat it!]

[I get it! You all saw Nan Zhi building it casually, but it actually all complies with structural mechanics! If that’s the case, Nan Zhi must know a lot about landscape architecture!]

[So you’re telling me chefs these days also need to be architects? Is the competition really that intense?]

[Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?]

[Then find me a more reasonable explanation?]

No matter how absurd that guess was, in Nan Zhi’s case, it was the undeniable truth!

Nan Zhi held the earthenware pot, a rare smile of satisfaction finally touching her cool, detached features.

Her voice, as clear and cool as spring water, washed over the entire room:

“The first cold dish, the Wangchuan Map Sample. Everyone, please enjoy.”

Everyone: ???

All this fanfare, and you’re telling us this is only the *first* dish?

Does that mean there’s a second and a third to come?

But they didn’t have time to dwell on it.

The fragrance wafting from the giant, three-dimensional cold platter proved that it wasn’t just for show.

All the ingredients had already been seasoned by Nan Zhi’s hand, so they weren’t flavorless. The addition of the top-tier stock, which had been simmered for a full twelve hours, acted as a catalyst, forcing out the aroma of every single component.

Furthermore, these aromas didn’t just clash randomly. Instead, they blended into a marvelous fragrance, each one complementing the others.

This proved that Nan Zhi hadn’t just considered appearance when selecting her ingredients; she had also considered their flavor.

But when it was finally time to eat, no one could bear to be the first to touch it.

Following Nan Zhi’s instructions, Fu Chao and the others had set up a large dining table in front of the cooking station. The enormous 3D platter now stood on it, a small mountain that the children gazed up at in awe.

The children held their bowls and chopsticks, hesitating to move. They felt it would be a terrible shame to eat such a beautiful scene.

Seeing this, Nan Zhi had to take a step forward:

“Since it is food, it was made to be eaten. That is the meaning of its existence.”

Only after hearing her words did the children finally raise their chopsticks…