Traveling the World

Chinese Cooking Class

by on May.17, 2009, under China


Recently my girlfriend signed up for class through a company called “Ocean,” which cooperates with Artistry, a subsidiary of Amway. After discovering that they offer a variety of courses, cooking included, I decided to tag along to check it out for myself. To sign up, it costs 500rmb ($72) and you are a lifetime member. Classes are offered every afternoon and evening for 2 hours; 2-4pm and 6:30-8:30pm. As you can see from the pictures below, they provide a clean environment, use nice cooking materials, and the instructors are well-trained and professional.

Zhuang Hui Sheng, who teaches the cooking class, joined Ocean in 2005 after having been a Physical Education teacher in Shanghai. She moved to Wuhan in 2007 to continue working with the company and still loves her job. The most important thing she says is the relaxed atmosphere and opportunity to show off her talents and make new friends.

Her friend Maggie comes from Yichang, near Wuhan. She finished university in Wuhan, and was working at a hotel when joined a friend who was studying Cosmetology for one of these classes. Afterwards, she decided to quit in favor of instructing women on how to do their make-up. She also teaches about skin care.


They offer a variety of classes:

  • Cooking
  • Make-up (application and removal)
  • Dressing
  • Color matching
  • Yoga
  • Speech and Communication
  • Balance and Nutrition

There is a different instructor for each class, taught at one of their three locations in Wuhan, two in the Hankou district and one on Zhongnan Lu in the Wuchang district. These courses are taught to benefit women, and are instructed in Chinese. This means if you’re a male, or don’t speak Chinese, or both, you’ll be bored to tears, unless you come for the cooking class, then good food is the reward for your sacrifice.


Meals Cooked Tonight:

  • Apples with melted/browned sugar
  • Eggs and tomatoes
  • shrimp
  • Mushrooms and vegetables
  • a full chicken
  • eggs and tofu soup
  • fish
  • green peppers and minced pork

    • All in all, a great experience to practice Chinese, eat good food for free, and talk to people who come from different parts of China. I highly recommend giving it a shot if you’re living here long-term, but if not, you can still check it out for free! I’m excited for the next cooking class!


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