Amid the serene grounds of the Hangzhou Botanical Garden at Taoyuan Ridge, Ru Yuan offers a dining experience that reflects both the grace and quiet strength of Hangzhou cuisine, also known as Hangbang cai. Founded and helmed by Chef Fu Yue Liang, a native son of the city, the restaurant is built on his devotion to tradition and his determination to let it evolve with precision and imagination.

The dish most closely associated with Ru Yuan—the Pagoda Braised Pork Belly—was created by Chef Fu more than 20 years ago. Crafted from a single piece of pork belly cut in one seamless motion into a 4-meter-long, 2-millimeter-thin ribbon, then folded into the form of a pagoda, it is both an extraordinary display of knife work and a profound act of reinvention. Over the years, this signature dish has become widely recognized across the Chinese gastronomy scene as a modern classic, cementing Fu’s reputation as a chef capable of turning innovation into legacy.

What defines Ru Yuan is not novelty for its own sake, but a philosophy of respect. Chef Fu draws deeply from the canon of Hangzhou cuisine—delicate, seasonal, and balanced—while allowing himself to present classics in new forms. The results feel familiar yet fresh, with subtle transformations that highlight the elegance of the tradition rather than overwrite it.

Ru Yuan is therefore more than a reflection of one chef’s skill—it is a continuation of Hangzhou’s culinary story. Through discipline, vision, and the creation of new classics, Chef Fu Yue Liang shows how heritage, handled with care, can remain timeless while speaking clearly to the present.