Role model Ma Hua’s noodle Odyssey of ethnic unity and authentic flavor

By Xue Lingqiao and Lin Mengnan

“Northwesterners often say, ‘a home is where there are noodles and meat.'” 

“In 1986, I come to Beijing with my father for the first time. At the time, there were very few authentic restaurants serving northwestern culinary in the capital, ” Ma Hua recalled.

She kept thinking to herself: since Beijing lacked the genuine northwestern flavor, why not bring Gansu’s beef noodles here? 

In 1988, Ma Hua opened her first restaurant on Beixiange Street in Beijing’s former Xuanwu District. Named Xibei Lai Shun (“Prosperity from the Northwest”), the small restaurant started with just four tables. Though the original location is ceased to exist, Ma said that Xibei Lai Shun represents the spiritual legacy of her catering brand of Western Mahua.

From a humble corner in Beijing to over 200 directly-operated restaurants worldwide, selling of over 50,000 bowls of beef noodles daily and serving tens of millions of customers annually, Ma’s noodle legend continues to unfold. 

“We Northwesterners are not afraid of hard work”

“Starting from my grandfather, several generations of my family have been in the catering businesses. We started our business in Beijing in 1988. Coming from the rural areas in northwest China, hard work and enduring hardship have never been a problem for me.”

Looking back, Ma Hua, who was born into a culinary family, remained steadfast in her decision to bring northwestern flavors to Beijing as a migrant entrepreneur.

“The 3,000 yuan we used to open the shop was all our savings, equivalent to the value of two cows. Back then, my husband and I woke up early to pedal a tricycle for coal and kneaded more than ten sacks of flour daily. Every achievement today was built step by step.”

Challenges from sourcing ingredients to production, never deterred Ma and her husband, though their journey was far from smooth.

During its early days, the couple-run Xibei Lai Shun sold dozens of sacks of noodles daily, often worrying about securing flour and coal for the next day. Speaking of this, Ma credits the trust of neighbors as key to keep them going. 

“The neighbors trusted us deeply. They generously lent us ingredients to keep our business running. We’ll never forget their kindness,” said Ma with a sense of reminiscence. 

Lanzhou beef noodles can prosper elsewhere 

It’s often said that Lanzhou beef noodles would lose their authentic flavor outside China’s Northwest, missing their signature aroma. 

How to bring the honored brand to Beijing with its original taste posed a major challenge for Ma. 

“While simmering the broth, I would often wonder that if the cattle graze on Northwestern’s grasslands and the water flows from the Yellow River, can this flavor exist without the soil and water of the Northwest?”

With deep respect for ingredients and inheritance of local flavors, Ma insists that using Northwestern materials and traditional methods are the secrets for authenticity. 

“We insist on using Northwestern spices, beef, and purified water (replacing Yellow River water). Fresh beef and marrow bones simmered for six hours daily, paired with premium wheat flour from Northwestern fields and meticulous processes, we preserve the noodles’ authentic texture and flavor,” said Ma. 

Adding that to sustain a century-old legacy, profit isn’t the priority Ma noted that money can be regained, but a ruined reputation can’t. Consequently, the quality and taste should never be compromised. 

Over the past decades, Ma Hua sourced ingredients extensively from ethnic regions like Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Gansu, and Qinghai. From Inner Mongolian lamb to Gansu’s dried apricots and Xinjiang’s chili peppers, these regional specialties have made their way to domestic cities and international tables. In doing so economic ties have been built between eastern and western China, helping many back home achieve prosperity. 

Giving back and going global 

“Sincerity””whole-hearted” and “authenticity” best define Ma’s path to success. From neighbors’ early support to her commitment to quality, her dedication to her hometown fuels her enduring success. 

In 2014, she established farming cooperatives in her hometown at Huining County of northwest China’s Gansu Province, which help 330 local households to jointly participate in business development. In later years, culinary training programs organized by Ma and relevant departments empowered nearly 10,000 ethnic minorities to start their own businesses.

“Over the years, our training institutes have trained tens of thousands. Our motto of ‘one get trained and their families get benefited’ has helped many to achieve prosperity through skill training.”

In September 2024, Ma was honored the awarded the honorary title of the Role Model for Ethnic Unity and Progress for her contributions to the ethnic solidarity and the regional development. 

According to Ma, the silk road cuisine thrives just like the Yellow River, with its many tributaries multiply its vitality. To this end, promoting Chinese food globally serves her responsibility and mission. 

Chinese cuisine going global is a major trend, noted Ma.

With the spread of Chinese culinary culture, since 2017, together with the World Federation of Chinese Catering Industry and China Cuisine Association, Ma and her delegations have been to Türkiye, France and Egypt, to share Chinese flavors. The Chinese New Year’s Eve dinner project has also been promoted in Malaysia through these efforts.

In 2019, Ma opened its first branch in Singapore.

“In Singapore, we blended the blue-and-white porcelain with peony motifs in our restaurant design. Since beef noodles are famous in China, I want diners abroad to know we that we come from China and are doing Chinese caterings.”

“Through culinary culture, we have captivated global consumers visually and through taste. Our noodle is just a name-card to the world, while at the same time, we should believe in ourselves, keep innovating, and do the best with unwavering efforts.”