Founder and History

Liu Guangwei: A Life Devoted to the Art and Ethics of Eating

Being a Farmer

Born and raised until his early teens in Beijing, Mr. Liu Guangwei relocated to Shandong province with his family where he spent years on farming and developed a deep appreciation for the origins of food and the rhythms of rural life. This early experience sowed the seeds for what would later become a lifelong mission: to understand the profound role of food in shaping individuals, communities, and civilization.

Being a Chef, Editor and Teacher

Liu’s passion for food led him study culinary arts and become a teacher. A few years later he took on the challenge of working as executive chef at a top hotel restaurant in the Shangdong province.  His leadership and culinary expertise earned him wide recognition and he had a pivotal role in establishing the Shandong Culinary Society.

In early 1990’s, Mr. Liu launched “Oriental Cuisine”, a monthly magazine for chefs and restaurant customers which quickly became famous throughout the country.  Recognizing the need for structured culinary education, Liu established the Oriental Culinary School, organized five academic seminars on culinary arts education and edited and published 23 textbooks for culinary professionals.  

Awards

Liu’s influence reached international heights in 2000 when he represented China at the 20th International Exhibition of Culinary Art in Germany, earning a Merit Award. He continued to foster global culinary excellence by launching the “Culinary Artists International Competition” in 2001, introducing the prestigious “Yiyin Golden Award” in 2012.

Liu’s contributions have been acknowledged globally; in August 2019, he was inducted as an Honorary Fellow of the American Academy of Chefs for his innovative theories on the aesthetics of culinary arts and the coding system of culinary products. His expertise also led him to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City in December 2019, where he advocated for the “Construction of a Food Order Platform” during an expert group meeting on digital transformation in developing countries.

Campaigns

Beyond his professional achievements, Liu has initiated impactful public interest campaigns. In 2001, he launched “Refrain from Cooking,” promoting the protection of rare wildlife, garnering support from over a million chefs. His 2010 “Naked Cooking” campaign encouraged the use of natural ingredients and the elimination of harmful additives, with participation from 100,000 restaurants. In 2013, his “Sound Ethics” campaign called for integrity in the catering industry, a movement that continues to resonate today.

Putting it all together - Shiology

Liu Guangwei’s journey had shown him the importance of a holistic understanding of food—not just as sustenance, but as a cornerstone of culture, health, and societal ethics. He remained unsatisfied with fragmented approaches to food. “There is no science of eating,” he often said. “But there should be.”

In 2012, Liu founded the Beijing Shiology Research Institute, dedicating himself to the study of shiology—the comprehensive science of food and eating. His seminal work, “Introduction to Shiology,” published in 2013, laid the foundation for this emerging discipline.

In 2017, he established the World Shiology Forum as a platform to promote Shiology—a new field treating food beyond sustenance or pleasure, as the dominant force in human development.The forum quickly gained traction and its 2019 edition was recognized as an official side event at the 2019 G20 Osaka summit.

Shiology rests on principles such as: “Food transforms the body”, “Eating can cause or cure disease”, and “Shiance”—the art and order of eating—breeds civilization. For Liu, eating is a five-sense aesthetic experience, an act that binds individual wellbeing with the health of society and the natural world.

The World Shiology Forum, now in its fifth edition (October 2025), brings together thinkers, chefs, farmers, scientists, and policymakers to explore how food shapes our bodies, our behaviors, and our futures. At its heart is Mr. Liu’s belief that by reclaiming our relationship with food—through what he calls Shiance Priority—we can restore balance to both people and planet.

From the fields of Shandong to the world stage, Liu Guangwei’s journey is a testament to how deeply food is woven into the story of being human.