Spring mountains beckon, a rebirth of flavor.
ShanghaiApril 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Recently, the luxury resort “Xinchang Anlan” partnered with the new-style herbal sparkling juice brand “Hope Water,” officially launching the spring chapter of the 2026 “Beautiful Meal in the Wild – Inspiration Dinner.” This immersive two-day, one-night taste journey, inspired by “Wang Shan Zha” (Hawthorn Hope), invited media friends to gather at the foot of the Chuan Rock Nineteen Peaks and along the Hanfei River in Xinchang, savoring a flowing seasonal co-branded menu amidst the landscape.
Anlan x Hope Water – Beautiful Meal in the Wild – Hanfei River Small Waterfall
As Hope Water’s signature seasonal IP event, the “Inspiration Dinner” selects a hotel partner each season, using seasonal elements as a guide to explore the deep connections between dining, nature, and ingredients. Xinchang Anlan — a secluded retreat hidden within Danxia landforms, tea gardens, and valleys — transforms “Wang Shan Zha” into culinary inspiration, presenting a limited-edition spring flavor exclusive to the season.
Itinerary Snapshot: A Spring Journey Guided by Taste, from Tea Garden to Valley
The event kicked off in the afternoon. Upon arrival, guests ascended slowly on the Cloud Ladder, enjoying the springtime serenity in a cloud-level sanctuary. As Xinchang is the origin of “Big Buddha Longjing” tea, the first local experience of the trip began — spring tea picking.
Guests, carrying baskets, walked through the local tea gardens, hand-picking tender buds, and experienced manual pan-firing of the tea in a tea art workshop.
In the evening, the core experience, “Beautiful Meal in the Wild,” commenced with a dinner by the riverside in front of a waterfall. The Hope Water brand shared the seasonal planning philosophy behind the “Inspiration Dinner,” while Executive Chef Sun of Xinchang Anlan explained the creative logic behind the co-branded menu one by one.
The highlight of the dinner was the cross-application of “Wang Shan Zha” — a sparkling juice drink brewed with herbs like red dates, dark plums, and roselle. The chef used it as an “invisible flavor core,” deeply integrating it into the dish designs.
The dinner was structured around Jiangnan poetry, with local spring ingredients as the foundation, creating a “spring river warming” ambiance that led guests on a tongue-tip flavor journey.
The next morning, guests joined a “Spring Hike” led by the chief experience officer, traversing the wild paths and bamboo groves behind Xinchang Anlan. After a light meal, each guest received a limited-edition “Inspiration Dinner” gift bag, departing with the fresh air and inspiration of two days in the wild.
Anlan x Hope Water – Beautiful Meal in the Wild – Inspiration Dinner
More Than Just a Dinner: Seasons Turn, Inspiration Renews
Inspiration doesn’t come from nowhere; it stems from a deep understanding of the season, ingredients, and local culture. A representative from Hope Water stated that choosing Anlan for this stop was because the landscape and spring tea here naturally echo the hawthorn fruit aroma of Wang Shan Zha.
Anlan x Hope Water – Beautiful Meal in the Wild – Inspiration Dinner – Starry Sky Hall
The co-branded spring limited-edition menu will officially launch at the Xinchang Anlan hotel restaurant after the event, open to the public. Moving forward, the “Inspiration Dinner” IP will continue to follow the natural rhythm of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, selecting a hotel with a unique character each season to deeply integrate Hope Water’s herbal sparkling drinks with local ingredients and seasonal elements.
As one of the most iconic experiences in Anlan’s “Secret Realm+ Series,” “Beautiful Meal in the Wild” has received high recognition and positive feedback from the market and target guests since its launch. In the future, this signature brand experience will continue to be rolled out across Anlan’s three hotels, using secret realm settings as tables, natural aesthetics as decor, and pairing them with the chef’s inspired creative hidden menus, crafting a unique wild culinary delight for more modern travelers.