A classic Chinese meal is not divided into starter-main-dessert: it is organized around a staple starch (主食, zhǔshí — rice, congee, or steamed buns) accompanied by several 菜 (cài, shared dishes at the center of the table) and almost always a soup (汤, tāng). On top of this is the 食疗 (shíliáo), the dietetics of traditional Chinese medicine, which chooses each food for its effect on the body (warming, nourishing the blood, hydrating). It was in this logic that Fan Bingbing composed her filming meals: balance, fortifying broths, goji berries.

Small dried orange-red berries, ubiquitous in Chinese dietetics. They are thrown into soups, teas, and congees to "nourish the liver and kidneys" and brighten the complexion — exactly the kind of beauty-health detail cultivated by Chinese movie stars.