Local Focus: Kung Fu Tea & Chinese Cooking Club exclusive to Whanganui

It's a long way to China from Whanganui, but classes at the Kung Fu Tea & Chinese Cooking Club are keeping the old traditions alive with regular classes.

Diana Liu teaches locals the tricks to making authentic Chinese food and shares her knowledge about the tea in China.

Weaving Chinese tradition and culture into the lessons, many of Diana's ancient practices are reminiscent of modern mindfulness tips and are just plain useful, like how to make dumpling dough.

"The softness, we like it to be like your ear," says Diana. "After you make the dough you press it down then you touch your ear, it's just a similarity."

Nutrition from food is also addressed.

"In Chinese medicine when you see a Chinese doctor, the first thing they do is to judge if your body nature is Ying or Yang. If your nature is more yang they will recommend you to have more cool nature food to balance that.

"You can have mung bean soup, mung bean is quite cool, you can cook mung bean with pumpkin and add vinegar - it will cool your body, your inner energy, not your temperature," Diana said.

While modern China is acknowledged, Liu's classes focus on older traditional Chinese ways.

"Our culture has been quite badly damaged by another regime which is quite different from our traditional values but I am glad to see that now there is more Chinese working hard to revive their own culture and for example now there's a lot of fashion designers, they are designing the traditional costume."

Liu has countless tips for making delicious Chinese food, including all the family.

"I really love gentlemen in your home to knead the dough because they are very powerful."

She insists even her son makes dough that is of better texture.

"Encourage your man at home to do this job and they can do it very beautifully and quickly," she said.

• Those interested in learning about tea and how to master the perfect dumpling can inquire about classes the ancient way, by landline: 06 927 5723.

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