Editor's note:
 

No matter where you end up in life, the flavors of your favorite childhood dishes are sure to bring up sweet memories. Even if you've traveled a million miles from home, one bite of a hometown dish brings you right back to where you started, if only for a moment. Even after sampling and enjoying the cuisines of so many different countries and peoples, the foods that you miss the most are the ones your mother used to make. In celebration of Spring Festival 2024 and the start of the Chinese Year of the Dragon, Hainanese living abroad have poured all their homesickness into their cooking, lovingly crafting their favorite hometown Hainan dishes and inviting friends from their host countries to try them. Let's join these Hainanese home cooks all around the world as they share their cultural roots and the best flavors of Hainan. The Hainan International Media Center and Hainanese all around the world invite you to enjoy the flavors of 'Cooking up Hainan'.

As a serious foodie from Hainan, how could anyone fail to love the island's staple treat: Hainan Noodles? Made from medium thickness rice noodles and a selection of nummies (like beef jerky, bean sprouts, pickled veg, and sour bamboo shoots) that have been drenched in a "to die for" delicious sauce, a whole bowl goes down so smooth it's like they've disappeared in the blink of an eye. Studying at the University of Utah, Hainan native Zheng Ruiyi(Ray) is making the decision to do her best at recreating the rich flavors of home….