Many centuries ago, when Chinese travellers arrived in Southeast Asia, often as traders, labourers, and craftsmen, they carried their food traditions across the seas. Prominently from the 18th to 19th centuries, during the Ayutthaya and early Rattanakosin periods, their flavours found new homes, that adapted, and quietly became part of the region’s rich cultural fabric.  Most of these early migrants came from southern China, particularly Teochew (Chaozhou), Hokkien, Hakka, Hainanese, and Cantonese communities. By the late 19th century, Chinese merchants were central to Bangkok’s rice trade, shipping, finance, and urban economy.

Today, when cultural exchange feels more fluid than ever, that journey continues, albeit with refined Chinese cuisine coming into its own. A new generation of chefs and restaurateurs is taking these traditions abroad,  honouring their roots while allowing them to evolve in new, global settings. Just like last year, when chef Yu Bin, a leading voice of modern Jiangnan cuisine and the force behind several Michelin and Black Pearl restaurants, opened his first overseas outpost, Purple Laurel, in Bangkok. Set in the elegant Gaysorn Amarin mall near the Erawan Shrine, the restaurant offers a refined yet welcoming Chinese dining experience, blending influences from Cantonese and Jiangnan cuisine for a global palate.