【我眼中的中国工匠】赵会连：向世界展示中式点心的魅力

工匠简介：赵会连，北京首旅酒店集团北京市民族饭店面点厨师长。2020年12月，被评为北京市劳动模范。2021年4月，入选第二届“北京大工匠”。他制作的象形点心因其独特创意及工艺多次获得国际大奖。

Craftsman profile: Huilian Zhao, head pastry chef at Minzu Hotel in Beijing (affiliated to the BTG Hotel Group), has won many titles and awards for his creativity and craftsmanship in pastry-making both at home and abroad. He won the title of “Beijing Model Worker” in December 2020 and was named one of the influential figures in the “Beijing Craftsman Spirit Campaign” in April 2021.

2022年7月，来自马里的留学生张衣笙和来自哥斯达黎加的留学生杨思思来到北京民族饭店，向赵会连学习象形点心制作，感受这项技艺的独特魅力。

On a July day in 2022, two international students came to visit Huilian Zhao, head pastry chef at Beijing Minzu Hotel, to learn how to make creatively shaped Chinese pastries. The two students are Yisheng Zhang from Mali and Sisi Yang from Costa Rica.

杨思思和张衣笙品尝了赵会连制作的象形点心。在杨思思被“象形苹果”吸引的同时，张衣笙也惊叹于核桃酥的美味。赵会连现场教两位留学生制作象形点心之一——核桃酥。在赵会连耐心指导下，两位留学生很快就能上手了。张衣笙直呼“太厉害了！”

Upon their arrival, they tasted some of the creatively shaped pastries made by Chef Zhao. They are stunned by the exquisiteness and great taste of these food. Yang exclaimed over a one that looks exactly like an apple, and Zhang kept saying “yummy” after tasting a “walnut”. And then, Chef Zhao began to show them how to handmake a walnut-shaped pastry. Under his guidance, the two students soon got the hang of it. "Awesome!" Yisheng murmured exultingly. 

这些点心不仅造型精美，更被赋予了美好的寓意。核桃酥的谐音“和” ，意为“和和美美，美美与共”。而它与“象形苹果”的组合即为“和平”，象征着世界和平。这些奇妙的寓意也让杨思思惊叹：“这些糕点不仅漂亮，还有独特的寓意，真是奇妙！”

Besides, these pastries also reflect good wishes. The beautiful walnut-shaped pastry signifies "harmony and beauty”, as, in Chinese, the first character of “walnut”(hetao) is the homonym for "harmony"(he). If paired with an apple, it will mean world peace, as the Chinese word they formed is pronounced the same as "peace"(heping). "How brilliant! These pastries not only look beautiful, but also convey good wishes," Yang said admiringly.

当谈到自己的面点制作之路，赵会连笑道：“当时是中秋节，看着师傅示范制作的精致面点，我一下就吸引住了。”因那时缺人手而被临时叫去车间做面点的赵会连也许不会想到，这些巧夺天工的食物将与他相伴一生。而现在这些面点工艺已吸引了各国友人前来观摩学习。

When asked how he started his career in pastry-making, Huilian Zhao replied smilingly, "I began to be interested in it when I saw a chef demonstrate how to make pastries at a Mid-Autumn Festival. I can’t help marveling at the exquisiteness of the artisan food. Since then, I began to love it. " Mr. Zhao, who was then just asked to work temporarily in the workshop due to chef shortages, wouldn’t have thought that he would become a pastry chef later and pursue the career for the rest of his life. Today, many foreigners, attracted to his delicate pastries and superb craftsmanship, have come to visit him，wanting to see him at work. 

创意和精巧的手艺使点心从寻常巷陌走向国宴大堂，从北京走向了世界，赵会连向世人展示着中式点心制作的魅力。他是国家级面点大师，更是具有工匠精神的中国匠人。

Creatively delicate pastries made by Chef Zhao, which used to be served just for ordinary customers in a Beijing hotel, have now been in the state banquet menu and started to be known to the world. Huilian Zhao is presenting, in his own way, to the world the great charm of Chinese pastries. Chef Zhao is much more than a national master in pastry. He is also one of the Chinese artisans representing the spirit of craftsman.

在这次体验中，留学生们不仅了解了象形点心的制作过程，更感悟到独属于中国的匠人精神。赵会连用行动向世人讲述着具有东方韵味和中式优雅的面点背后的故事。

After this hands-on experience, the two international students learned the basic procedure for making creatively shaped Chinese pastries, and more importantly, gained a better understanding of the Chinese craftsman spirit, the very working attitude seen in Huilian Zhao, who kept pursuing excellence in pastry-making in the hope of spreading Chinese pastries exhibiting oriental beauty and Chinese-stye elegance all over the world. 

指导单位：全国总工会新闻中心 北京市人民政府新闻办公室

Instructor:The News Center of ACFTU   Information Office of Beijing Municipality

联合出品：中国互联网新闻中心 北京第二外国语学院

Produced by China International Information Center(CIIC) and Beijing International Studies University(BISU)

出品人：王晓辉

Presenter: Xiaohui Wang

总监制：杨新华 张严

Executive Producer:Xinhua Yang　Yan Zhang 

总策划：蔡晓娟 巩琳萌 鲁楠 白岩

Producer:Xiaojuan Cai　Linmeng Gong　Nan Lu　Yan Bai

执行策划：刘颖 马宪超 栗卫斌 徐兴田

Line Producer:Ying Liu　Xianchao Ma　Weibin Li　Xingtian Xu 

摄制团队：梁均羽 杨昊 高佳慧 刘愉麒 李伊琳 唐艺文 李润祥 周睿知 刘靖 柯安米 李苑童

Filming team: Junyu Liang　Hao Yang　Jiahui Gao　Yuqi Liu　Yilin Li　Yiwen Tang　Runxiang Li　Ruizhi Zhou   Jing Liu　Anmi Ke　Yuantong Li

宣发：雷滢 李智

Publicist: Ying Lei　Zhi Li

审译： 孙巍伟 张艳玲

Translation: Weiwei Sun　Yanling Zhang

后期制作：赵超 吴狄 宋子龙

Post-Production: Chao Zhao　Di Wu　Zilong Song