Taste of China Shanghai Review: Immersive Dining Experience
August 31, 2025
A Feast for All Senses
Yesterday evening, on Qixi Festival, I experienced something extraordinary: Taste of China. My good friend Amy and I had been looking forward to this dinner since Monday! And in a spontaneous twist, my client, Mr. Jindal — a vegetarian and first-time visitor from India on his business trip — also joined us. With no expectations, he kept an open mind, and by the end of the night, he said he felt he had “experienced all of China at once.”
*Disclaimer: Our visit to Taste of China was not comped. We all paid ourselves, and I hope to share my honest review based on my experience.
Arrival & First Impressions
From the very start, the hospitality impressed me. The reception was warm and efficient, and one of the hostesses even gave us an overview of the evening’s storyline before showing us to our table. As the lights dimmed and the dinner began promptly at 7 pm, everyone was instantly captivated by breathtaking wall projections that surrounded the dining room on three sides.
Each guest received a beautifully designed passport, which is also the evening’s menu. It outlined our culinary “journey” through China’s five main regions: Jiangnan, Northern, Western, Central, and the Greater Bay Area (including Hong Kong and Macau), before concluding in Shanghai with dessert. Bilingual descriptions made it easy to follow, and it’s such a clever keepsake to remember the night, and there are QR codes on pages for Augmented Reality interaction on your mobile phone!
Concept & Performances
In development for over 2 years, the team from Trip.com is very clever with the concept. This wasn’t just dinner — it was an immersive show. Between courses, talented performers brought the themes to life with traditional Chinese dance, a tea ceremony, a face-changing act, and even kung fu demonstrations. The projections highlighted China’s most iconic landmarks — the Great Wall, Terracotta Warriors, and so many — including western China, where I just travelled to last month! Paired with bilingual explanations. It truly felt like traveling across the whole country in just under 2.5 hours.
I particularly loved the Hong Kong segment near the finale — it felt personal and very creative. The only element I wasn’t too fond of was the panda mascot, “Chengbaobao,” which reminded me of Kung Fu Panda and felt slightly childish. However, its interactions with performers were natural and enjoyable for the audience, with no dull moments.
Food & Drinks
The meal itself was ambitious, covering so many regions and flavors. Standouts for me:
Hot Pot — DIY sauce mixing with nine condiments was playful and interactive. The hot pot ingredients were premium: abalone, beef, fresh vegetables, noodles, and more. And to my relief, not spicy at all, and with clear instructions on the screen, passport and table projection, totally reminded me the experience I had at Ultra Violet many years ago.
Peking Duck — beautifully presented and perfectly, with clear instructions.
The entire menu is also available in a fully vegetarian version, which is essential for vegetarians. Although my guest is a very traditional eater (he doesn’t enjoy food that is unfamiliar to him), he was thrilled with most of the dishes and the entire experience.
The one disappointment: the dim sum, particularly the har gow (Shrimp Dumplings), which could have been juicier and felt less pre-made from frozen dumplings, maybe?
For drinks, I opted for the wine pairing (¥398 extra), and it was worth every penny. The sommelier curated all-Chinese wines that paired surprisingly well with the dishes. For those who prefer non-alcoholic beverages, five different teas were offered — Oolong, Pu’er, Jasmine, Silver Needle, and Imperial Dragon Well — each with its own unique regional story, which was also detailed in the Passport/Menu.
Service & Hospitality
The staff were attentive and genuine. Steven, in particular, deserves special thanks — from pre-arrival confirmation to farewell, his sincerity was amazing. The interactive table projections (yes, you could touch and play with them!) were demonstrated by staff, though their English was limited. Since this venue is new, I think more training in English service would help meet the needs of foreign guests. A few staff were noticeably a bit nervous/clumsy, or having difficulty understanding foreign guests’ requests, but I am sure this will improve over time and experience.
Optional Dress-Up Experience
There is an add-on where guests can dress in traditional Chinese costumes with professional makeup. While it looked fun, it requires arriving two hours earlier and costs significantly more. Personally, I’d say the dining experience alone is already rich and immersive enough — unless you really want photos, it’s not essential.
Overall Experience
By the end of the evening, we were invited to take photos with the panda mascot - Chengbaobao, and everyone left smiling. It truly was a sensory overload experience: visuals, performances, diversity of flavors, and hospitality combined into one unforgettable night. I feel lucky that I get to experience this early on and it didn’t disappoint.
Value & Recommendation
This is not just a dinner, but a cultural performance + multi-course feast. The price reflects that, and I would recommend it for:
First-time visitors to China who want a crash course in its culture and cuisine
Expats Couples looking for a unique date
Foodies who enjoy immersive dining concepts
That said, it’s clearly designed with curious visitors in mind. The passport even includes chopstick instructions — charming for newcomers, but unnecessary for those already familiar with China. If you’re already well-traveled in China or deeply knowledgeable about its food and culture, you might find parts of the experience a bit over generic. Absolutely worth it for visitors and special nights — go for the show, the various bites and storytelling of Chinese culture in a unique way.
Having also experienced Gongyan and Xuyan, I think Taste of China strikes the best balance for expats, foreigners, and first-time visitors.
Taste of China – Best for international guests. Easy to follow thanks to bilingual menus and subtitles, super well-done immersive projections, and a storyline that connects food with regional culture. A great introduction to China in one evening.
Gongyan – A beautiful, traditional performance with flawless service, but much harder for non-Chinese speakers to follow. I’d recommend it more for locals, Asian tourists, overseas Chinese, or fans of Xianxia dramas who appreciate traditional aesthetics. The food is also of high quality.
Xuyan – Feels more like a spin-off or “knock-off” version. The stage design and dress-up experience are popular, but the food is mediocre (I tested it three times), and the narration is confusing even for Chinese speakers. Its location is also the furthest from the city center, so less convenient, no english speaking staff!
👉 My verdict: if you’re a foreign visitor looking for a clear, engaging, and fun introduction to Chinese culture through food, Taste of China is your best bet.
Practical Summary (Self-Paid Visit)
Concept: Created by Trip.com (Ctrip) — blending cuisine with travel experiences. Launched late August 2025.
Pricing: Dinner ¥888-¥1468 (~US$127-US$215) | Lunch ¥788+ | Wine pairing +¥398 | VIP seating up to ¥1588 | Dress-up experience add-on (2 tiers, priced separately). You can read more about their pricing on their official site
Seating: Maximum 60 guests per show, two shows per day (Lunch and Dinner), front 2 rows are VVIP, Middle 2 rows are VIP, and last 2 rows are general seating, the tables (5 per category and 4 diners per table) are placed in a 3-tier riser design so it was fairly distributed, and not too much obstruction for the general seating although you would see less live performances and further from the projection wall. but your eye level will also be hire than the other two VIP and VVIP diners.
Time: Lunch 12 pm - 2pm+; Dinner: 7 pm-9pm+ Diners are requested to arrive 10-15 minutes early to be seated so the show can start on time without any interruption. We were told that it would be a 2-hour experience, but we actually finished our last dessert at 9:30 pm, so it was a proper 2.5-hour experience instead of 2.
Kids & Vegetarian menus: Both available, making it family- and diet-friendly. However, please note that children under 6 years old are not recommended to participate in this experience.
Language: On-screen content and narration were fully in English + Chinese subtitles. Most staff can speak English, and they were very helpful.
After this experience, I must say: really well done to Trip.com. What a bold investment to create such an amazing storytelling concept — a truly sensational way to bring Chinese culture to visitors. It made me daydream about the possibilities: imagine a Taste of India, Taste of Spain, or Taste of Japan — each with its own passport to collect. I would absolutely love to see this expand into a global franchise.
I’d love to hear your thoughts too — have you tried an immersive dining experience like this before? How was it for you? Feel free to leave a comment or reach out if you have any questions.
If you’d like to book or learn more about Taste of China, you can click here for the official information.
Thank you for reading!