'A kingdom of plants' on a plate

The Yunnan-cuisine chain In and Out is constantly searching for new offerings from the southwestern province that's celebrated for its diverse fare, Li Yingxue reports.

Shi Junfeng recalls there weren't many Yunnan-cuisine restaurants in Beijing when he started working at one in 1997. And the only ingredients they could source from the far-flung province were dried or canned.

Today, the executive chef of the restaurant chain In and Out in Beijing says the brand's eateries ship 65 percent of ingredients fresh from Yunnan. And Dazhong Dianping, China's version of Yelp, lists over 200 results for Yunnan food in Beijing.