Four Months in China, First Cooking Class

Taste Xiaolongbao(soup dumpling) at Yin Studio in Shanghai

For the past four months, three exchange students from Germany and Austria have been exploring China while studying abroad.

Like many young travelers today, they arrived with a sense of curiosity and excitement. During their time here, they visited some of China's most famous destinations—walking through the historic streets of Beijing, enjoying the gardens and canals of Suzhou, admiring the beauty of Hangzhou, experiencing the futuristic skyline of Chongqing, and standing among the breathtaking mountains of Zhangjiajie.

China has become increasingly popular among young international travelers, and they told us that traveling in China is currently very trendy on Instagram. After spending several months here, they completely understood why.

Yet despite all their adventures, there was still one experience missing from their journey.

They had never taken a cooking class in China.

All three of them enjoy cooking, but between classes, travel plans, and exploring different cities, they had never found the opportunity. So when they arrived at Yin Studio today, they were excited to finally experience something they had been wanting to do for months.

And what better place to start than with Shanghai's most famous dish?

Xiaolongbao.

Julia,Emma and Alissia’s final Xiaolongbao work at Yin Studio in Shanghai

As we mixed fillings, rolled wrappers, and carefully folded each dumpling, conversations naturally drifted toward their experiences in China. We talked about the cities they had visited, the foods they had discovered, and the moments that had surprised them most during their exchange program.

Step 1 :put the filling to make the soup dumpling at Yin Studio in Shanghai.

Like many first-time Xiaolongbao makers, they quickly discovered that creating eighteen perfect folds is much harder than it looks. There was plenty of laughter around the table as each person developed her own technique.

But that is often the most enjoyable part of learning something new.

When the bamboo steamers were finally opened, the room filled with excitement. The dumplings they had made with their own hands were now ready to eat.

For travelers, some memories come from famous landmarks.

Others come from simple moments shared around a table.

Today was one of those moments.

Before saying goodbye, we exchanged Instagram accounts. Alissia was especially excited about the videos from the class and couldn't wait to see the final edit once it was posted. We promised to tag her when the video was ready, and she was already looking forward to sharing the memory with friends back home.

After four months in China, they had finally crossed one more experience off their list.

Not another city.

Not another landmark.

But their very first cooking class in China.

Memorable photo with Alissia,Emma and Julia

Thank you, Alissia,Julia and Emma, for spending part of your Shanghai journey with us. We hope the memories—and the Xiaolongbao skills—travel home with you.

Safe travels, and we hope to see you again someday.