Journey of good taste has star appeal

陈小将

At the 2025 Michelin Guide Shanghai event, esteemed chefs, restaurant owners and industry professionals gathered to celebrate the top in the food and beverage sector. Among the mostly male chefs, Chen Lina, a graceful woman in a blue hat, stood out. Her artisanal xiaolongbao (steamed stuffed buns) restaurant Wu You Xian received one Michelin star, making it Shanghai's first dim sum restaurant to achieve such an honor.

At that moment, Chen was not entirely clear on what Michelin meant, much like the array of accolades adorning the entrance of her restaurant, most of which she didn't even recognize until later.

As the owner and chef of Wu You Xian, Chen holds the prestigious title of a national first-class dim sum chef who likens her xiaolongbao to her "cherished children" and the "work of art".

At 19, she apprenticed at time-honored restaurant Lyubolang in Shanghai and was sent to Japan in 2005, where she introduced the famous Shanghai dim sum to Osaka.