“SILK ROAD DELICACIES: RICE UNEARTHED” PREMIERING THIS CHINESE NEW YEAR ON ASTRO 4K UHD

“Silk Road Delicacies: Rice Unearthed”, a culinary documentary that travels around different parts of Asia to discover the Chinese roots in other Asian cuisines is back. The launch of the series were officiated by Mr. Jing Shuiqing, Vice President and Deputy Editor-in-Chief, China Intercontinental Communication Center at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) recently.

Hosted by Michelin-starred restaurant owner, Chef Alvin Leung and the first winner of MasterChef Canada, Chef Eric Chong, together they delved into the history, tradition and technology of the cultivation of rice for inspiration in their gastronomic creations and bringing Chinese culinary traditions to a new level.

From Left to Right

-          JING Shuiqing 井水清, Vice President / Deputy Editor-in-Chief, China Intercontinental Communication Center

-          Chef Alvin Leung 梁經倫

-          Anne Chan, CJ ENM COO

-          Lenny Leong  梁美玲, Astro SAVP, Acquisition & Distribution

-          Michael Jung 總經理 - CJ ENM Managing Director

-          Chef Eric Chong 张华聪

Premiering this Chinese New Year, the documentary consists of 3 episodes and will kick off its first episode on Astro 4K UHD, from January 25, 2020. Directed by the famous Kabir Bhatia and Malaysian production team, audience will get to watch Alvin with his brass and eccentric personality and his charismatic millennial apprentice Eric Chong travelled to seven stunning cities in China, the bustling Bangkok, Thailand, the exotic wilds of Sarawak, Malaysia and the ultra-modern metropolis Dubai, U.A.E. to discover the stories behind the tiny grain of rice, bringing cultures together and meeting memorable characters along the way. There is also a cook off between Alvin and Eric in every episode.

Well known simply by his moniker “The Demon Chef”, Alvin Leung is no stranger to creating dishes inspired by Cantonese fare and he is also a pivotal figure in Hong Kong's culinary landscape. Alvin once said “Inspirations come from everywhere through the five senses – see, hear, taste, touch and smell and we have to be innovative”.

His flagship restaurant Bo Innovation has retained Michelin stars since 2013 where he popularised his signature X-Treme Chinese cuisine to create modern and inventive Oriental food. He is also a familiar face on MasterChef Canada, where he serves as a judge. 

Meanwhile Eric Chong, the first winner of MasterChef Canada, restaurant owner and Oakville native is making his spot on the food scene. The journey of Eric and Alvin’s collaboration started on the set of Canada’s MasterChef, where he gained the attention of Chef Alvin Leung. Alvin invited Eric to Hong Kong to work in his three Michelin-starred restaurant Bo Innovation and together they opened R&D (Rebel & Demon) Restaurant in Toronto.

The series is also set to broadcast on tvN Asia and other platforms in over 15 countries and regions including South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the Middle East. The series also will further reach out to a wider audience via “USILK”, a time block covering over 40 countries and regions globally in various languages.

 “Silk Road Delicacies: Rice Unearthed”  is a coproduction between CJ ENM with China Intercontinental Communication Center (CICC) that explores China’s Belt and Road initiative by tracing how rice is produced and transported between China and Malaysia, Thailand and The United Arab Emirates.

Also present at the launch were Chef Alvin Leung, Chef Eric Chong, Ms. Anne Chan, Chief Operating Officer CJ ENM, Mr. Lenny Leong Astro SAVP, Acquisition & Distribution and Mr. Michael Jung, Managing Director CJ ENM.

Don’t forget to watch Wok the World “Silk Road Delicacies: Rice Unearthed” coming to your home this Chinese New Year!

About tvN

The number 1 pay TV channel in Korea, tvN is expanding to Asia-Pacific. Being the content trend leader, tvN provides the best general entertainment through express top-rated variety shows, record breaking hit dramas, world class music shows, trend leading lifestyle programmes and star-studded original productions exclusively for Asian viewers. tvN is available in Asia-Pacific countries, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar, Maldives and Sri Lanka. tvN is owned by CJ ENM, Asia’s leading entertainment and merchandising company headquartered in Seoul, Korea.

About CJ ENM

CJ ENM is Asia’s leading entertainment and merchandising company headquartered in Seoul, Korea. As of July 1, 2018, CJ E&M has merged with CJ Group’s home shopping and e-commerce subsidiary CJ O Shopping to become CJ ENM. Its entertainment division has five main business units - broadcast, film (CJ Entertainment), music, live entertainment and animation. CJ has been contributing to promote Korean culture around the world, through the company's 'One Source, Multi-Content' strategy. As a trend leader in Asia, it has produced and distributed various popular content, some of which include Asia’s largest music awards Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA), leading Hallyu convention KCON, Tony Award-winning musical Kinky Boots, record-breaking box office hits Roaring Currents, Ode to My Father and Veteran, along with sought-after television series such as Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, Youn's Kitchen, Super Star K, Show Me the Money and Produce 101. For more information, please visit: http://www.cjenm.com

Relation with CICC

Earlier this year, CICC and CJ ENM has started their first co-production with a special 3-episode, 60-minutes series of Wok the World entitled “Silk Road Delicacies: Rice Unearthed”. On 15th October 2019, CJ ENM and CICC announced their strategic partnership in 2020, producing high quality factual programs with the objective to let the world see China at MIPCOM. The MOU signed at MIPCOM further underlines the commitment of CICC and CJ ENM to joint hands in co-creating IPs and co-producing factual programs with a unique Asian touch in 2020, including Season 2 of the Wok the World series.

  

FACT SHEET

Chef Alvin Leung

·            Regular and main host of TV Series Wok The World

and culinary documentary Silk Road Delicacies:

Rice Unearthed

·            Well known with the nicknamed “The Demon Chef”

·            The Demon moniker came from the Greek word 

“Daimôn", meaning "good-spiritedness”

·            One of only two self-taught chefs with Michelin

stars in the world

·            Invented his own cuisine – X-Treme Chinese, a combination of fusion cuisine and molecular gastronomy

·            Meant to show that food he creates is pushing the limits

·            Chef Alvin’s most notable restaurants are Bo Innovation in Hong Kong and Bo in London

  

Chef Eric Chong

·            Canada's 1st MasterChef

·            His father is a Malaysian and his grandparents are

currently in Sarawak

·            Regular co-host of the Wok The World Series & Silk Road

Delicacies: Rice Unearthed

·            One of the youngest winners of Masterchef Canada

·            A chemical engineer by training

·            At the tender age of 21, Erik has travelled extensively

through Asia with his mentor Chef Alvin Leung to sharpen

his knowledge and skills

·            Now partnered with Alvin, Eric operates R&D Restaurant in Toronto – a modern eatery paying tribute to traditional Asian flavours and beloved Canadian dishes

“SILK ROAD DELICACIES: RICE UNEARTHED”         

TV GUIDE

CHANNEL / EPISODE	EPISODE 1	EPISODE 2	EPISODE 3
Astro 4K UHD	Premiere
	25th Jan 2020 7.00pm	26th Jan 2020 7.15pm	26th Jan 2020 8.00pm
	Repeat
	28th Jan 2020 10.00pm	29th Jan 2020 10.00pm	30th Jan 2020 10.00pm
tvN Asia	Premiere
	27th Jan 2020 11.00pm	3rd Feb 2020 11.00pm	10th Feb 2020 11.00pm