Bai Yongming

01 · Lineage & Regional School

In 1978 he entered the Pianyifang Roast Duck Restaurant, where he studied under Tang Chunzi, fourth-generation transmitter of the Pianyifang closed-oven roast duck technique, and came to master its core skills comprehensively. Within the regional tradition and school record of Roast Duck Technique in Beijingpianyifangkaoyajituanyouxiangongsi: Bianyifang's covered-oven roast duck is rooted in the single city of Beijing: since its founding in the fourteenth year of the Yongle reign of the Ming dynasty (1416), the craft has been passed down from generation to generation in this one place without interruption. The famed Ming official Yang Jisheng once inscribed a plaque for the restaurant, and the Qianlong Emperor, together with many Qing officials and literary figures, patronized it—across six hundred years the thresholds of this establishment have been linked with affairs of state, which is why the center of gravity of its craft has always remained at the oven's edge and nowhere else. When the craft spread outward, it generally did so under the restaurant's name. Beijing's roast duck establishments are led by Bianyifang and Quanjude, and the covered-oven school has also taken root in Tianjin, Jinan, and the provinces of the Northeast; but once the oven type is changed, the direction of the heat and the placement of the duck blanks must be rearranged, so although ducks made in these places are still called covered-oven roast duck, their color and flavor differ somewhat from the original Beijing shop. According to the Yuan-dynasty work Yinshan Zhengyao (Principles of Correct Diet), roast duck was already prepared in the imperial kitchens of that time. Qing-dynasty works such as Dijing Suishi Jisheng and Dumen Zaji also record that at every Mid-Autumn Festival, in addition to osmanthus mooncakes, the imperial kitchen prepared "southern-oven duck" for the emperor's enjoyment; the Gaozong Emperor (Qianlong) was especially fond of it. Bianyifang was founded in the fourteenth year of the Yongle reign of the Ming dynasty (1416), and Quanjude in the third year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing dynasty (1864); both have a long history. The Beijing Bianyifang was founded in the fourteenth year of the Yongle reign of the Ming dynasty (1416) and specializes in covered-oven (menlu) roast duck. The famed Ming official Yang Jisheng once inscribed a plaque for Bianyifang, and the Qianlong Emperor, together with many Qing officials and literary figures, patronized the establishment.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Male, of Manchu ethnicity, born in May 1958, a native of Beijing. He is a national representative bearer of roast duck technique (the Pianyifang closed-oven roast duck technique), a third-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. He is a Pianyifang closed-oven roast duck technician. Building on the inherited traditional craft, he led the innovative development of a green and health-oriented patented closed-oven roast duck, Shuxiangsu (Vegetable Fragrance Crisp). He took part in the joint development of Huaxiangsu roast duck and its production method and of osmanthus sauce and its production method, and independently improved and developed a number of machines and devices, obtaining national patents. Within the documented technical tradition of Roast Duck Technique in Beijingpianyifangkaoyajituanyouxiangongsi: Roast duck is the most famous dish of Beijing; in ancient times it was known as "shaoyazi" (roast duckling), "lushaoya" (oven-roast duck), "nanluya" (southern-oven duck), and other names. The principal roast duck establishments of Beijing are Bianyifang and Quanjude. Roast duck is made from specially raised force-fed ducks (tianya) through slaughtering, cleaning, preparing the carcass (making the duck blank), drying the skin, brushing on a malt-sugar glaze, and roasting. Beijing roast duck is prepared by several different techniques—the hanging oven (open flame), the covered oven (no open flame), the vat oven, and spit-roasting—yielding ducks with crisp skin, tender meat, and a rich but not greasy, delicious flavor that is highly praised by Chinese and foreign diners alike. In the covered-oven method the duck never sees an open flame during cooking; the finished bird is date-red, with a glossy, crisp skin and white, tender meat. Passed down and continually developed in the hands of generations of roast duck masters, the Bianyifang covered-oven roast duck craft has produced its celebrated "three masteries": mastery of the specially built covered oven, mastery of duck selection and carcass preparation, and mastery of roasting and slicing. For hundreds of years, Bianyifang's covered-oven roast duck—delicious in flavor, crisp outside and tender within—has continually attracted diners from all quarters. In modern and contemporary times, people from all walks of life have come in even greater numbers to Bianyifang to taste its covered-oven roast duck—government leaders, prominent members of society, and foreign heads of state drawn by its fame—who, after tasting it, have left many precious inscriptions and calligraphic works for the restaurant. Through nearly six hundred years of change, Bianyifang has accumulated a distinctive roast duck craft and corporate culture, exerting a broad social influence. "Bianyifang" is a "China Time-Honored Brand" designated in the first batch by the Ministry of Commerce. At the same time, amid fierce market competition, the brand image of Bianyifang's covered-oven roast duck is being adversely affected by counterfeit and shoddy products. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Muffled-oven roasting": Without open flame the duck emerges red-brown with glossy crisp skin and white tender flesh, so the thickness of the oven wall governs the result. "The oven craft": The craft has produced three acknowledged excellences: the oven, the selection and shaping of ducks, and roasting and carving. "Choosing and shaping the duck": Selecting the fattened duck and shaping the blank must match the muffled oven's heat, judged entirely by feel. "Roasting and carving": Roasting and carving complete the three excellences; thin slices deliver crisp skin and pale meat in the same mouthful.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

He has received the Golden Tripod Award conferred by the China Hotel Association and the Chinese Golden Chef Award conferred by the China Cuisine Association, among others. He has also been awarded the title of National Model Worker and the Capital Labour Medal. He established a transmitter's studio and has taken on more than sixty apprentices, including Li Yang and Wang Zheng, teaching them the building of duck ovens and the roasting process.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Bai Yongming · National Representative Bearer Archive