Press Centre
One page for journalists, editors and curators: standard biographies, a fact sheet (each item with its evidence tier and source), writing notes, notes on using images and footage, citation format and contact. Facts follow this site’s Life & Era page and Corrections and Disputed Points, and this page is kept in step with them. This site is a biographical, inferential reconstruction, not a complete historical record; please keep that statement when quoting.
Standard biographies
Evidence strength: First-hand account autobiography or direct disciple witness · Physical evidence certificates, original copies or order receipts · Independent source cross-verified by third-party media · Biographical account found only in the biography · Unverified conflicting accounts across multiple sources
A short and a long version, ready to quote. Please credit the source (Baiwei Songru, chensongru.com) and check against the date of this page’s last update.
Short version
Chen Songru (1921–1993), born in Ziyang, Sichuan, was a Sichuan-cuisine chef and one of the founders of state-banquet Sichuan cuisine. In 1959, on Zhou Enlai’s instructions, he went to Beijing to set up the Beijing Sichuan Restaurant and became its first head chef. He cooked for Mao Zedong on three stays at Zhongnanhai, and in 1987 led eight master chefs to Singapore for a demonstration. He published two books, “Beijing Sichuan Restaurant Recipes” and “Authentic Sichuan Cuisine: 160 Kinds”.
Long version
Chen Songru (7 December 1921 – 16 January 1993), born in Ziyang, Sichuan, was a Sichuan-cuisine chef and one of the founders of state-banquet Sichuan cuisine. He left home for Chengdu at twelve to learn cooking, apprenticed first to Zhou Guangting and Chen Changming. In 1959, on Zhou Enlai’s instructions, he went to Beijing to set up the Beijing Sichuan Restaurant and became its first head chef; between 1959 and 1966 he went to Zhongnanhai three times to cook for Mao Zedong and other leaders; on 5 November 1982 he was head chef at the banquet Deng Xiaoping gave for Prince Sihanouk; in August 1987 he led eight master chefs from the Sichuan Restaurant and the Fragrant Hill Hotel to Singapore for a demonstration; and in 1992 he received the World Master Chefs Society’s Eastern cuisine honour of the year, the only Chinese recipient that year. He published two books, “Beijing Sichuan Restaurant Recipes” and “Authentic Sichuan Cuisine: 160 Kinds”. He died in Beijing in 1993, aged 71 in full years. His craft is listed in the Ziyang municipal intangible cultural heritage register.
Fact sheet
Each item carries its evidence tier and the page that holds it. The tiers follow the site’s four-tier labelling (see About); matters with competing accounts are left out here and are in Corrections and Disputed Points.
| Item | Content | Evidence | See |
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 7 December 1921, Ziyang, Sichuan | Independent source | Life & Era |
| Died | 16 January 1993, Beijing; aged 71 in full years. The workplace obituary says “aged 72”, which is the traditional Chinese count | Independent source | Life & Era |
| Role and move to Beijing | In 1959, on Zhou Enlai’s instructions, went to Beijing to set up the Beijing Sichuan Restaurant, as its first head chef | Independent source | Life & Era |
| Three stays at Zhongnanhai | Three stays between 1959 and 1966; the first, on 7 September 1959, was to cook for Mao Zedong | First-hand account | Life & Era |
| 1982 Sihanouk banquet | 5 November 1982, hosted by Deng Xiaoping; the head chef of that banquet was Chen Songru | Physical evidence | 1982: One Banquet, Three Menus |
| 1987 Singapore demonstration | 8–28 August 1987, led eight master chefs from the Sichuan Restaurant and the Fragrant Hill Hotel to Singapore | First-hand account | 21 Days in Singapore: The 1987 Footage |
| 1992 World Master Chefs Society | Eastern cuisine honour of the year, the only Chinese recipient that year (do not write “the first”) | Independent source | Life & Era |
| Books | “Beijing Sichuan Restaurant Recipes” (Sichuan Science and Technology Press, 1989); “Authentic Sichuan Cuisine: 160 Kinds” (first edition December 1991; the first printing’s cover reads “160 Dishes”) | Physical evidence | Digital Archive |
| Intangible heritage | His craft is listed in the Ziyang municipal intangible cultural heritage register | Official recognition | Life & Era |
Writing notes
- Do not write “first” or “only” loosely: for the World Master Chefs honour write “the only Chinese recipient that year”; “the only recording in which his own voice can be heard” no longer holds.
- Age at death: write “aged 71 (in full years)”; the obituary’s “aged 72” is the traditional Chinese count.
- Names and titles: Zhou Shengping, Xie Huaide, Zhou Yuqin; “Beijing Sichuan Restaurant Recipes” was published by Sichuan Science and Technology Press.
- “Master” is a narrative honorific, not a currently valid certificate or recognition.
- The full list of easily mis-stated points and the record of changes is in Corrections and Disputed Points · Quick reference.
Images and footage
- This site does not currently offer a downloadable press-image pack. Most images in the collection were supplied by the family or are media works under copyright; the ownership of each item is in the Digital Archive. That the site can display something does not mean it may be reproduced.
- For images used in reporting, contact the rights holder named for that item; footage (including the 1991 documentary and the 1987 Singapore footage) also needs separate permission, which this site cannot grant on others’ behalf.
- The site’s original text and data are offered under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (see About): please credit the source and give the link.
Citation and contact
- Citation formats are under About · How to cite. A short credit in a report can read: “Source: Baiwei Songru (chensongru.com), Life & Era, accessed on D Month YYYY”.
- Contact: info@chensongru.com. Please give the name of your outlet or institution, the purpose, the pages or image numbers you wish to use, and the publication date.
- Interviews with family members, disciples or committee members need their own consent, which this site cannot promise on their behalf; to report a factual error, follow Corrections and Disputed Points.