i. Biography
The Climb
Executive Chef work is a production craft before it is a title. At Xin Guang, Fang Liang carries that role through prep, service, and the small calls that determine whether a seafood kitchen stays composed: timing, sequence, heat, and the decision to handle an ingredient less rather than more. Kitchen authority in this setting is measured by steadiness. The Executive Chef title at Xin Guang places Fang Liang inside the daily discipline of a room that has to move cleanly from preparation to pickup without losing judgment. Command shows in restraint, in when to intervene, and in when to let the ingredient remain the point of the plate.
Today
Shanghainese seafood cuisine depends on control rather than excess. In Fang Liang’s work at Xin Guang, the brief is clarity: texture kept clean, heat judged closely, and balance held so the natural sweetness and delicacy of seafood are not covered by technique. Live seafood changes the working tempo of a kitchen. Decisions are made close to the moment of cooking, with freshness, movement, weight, and season read by eye and hand. In that rhythm, execution is not mechanical; the ingredient is assessed in real time, adjusted through touch and timing, and sent when it has reached its best expression. Hairy crab and seafood at Xin Guang Shanghai place the kitchen inside a demanding local register. Shanghainese seafood cooking carries both technical and cultural expectations: the product must be carefully chosen, the preparation assured, and the finish elegant without looking worked over. In Fang Liang’s kitchen, the value is accuracy.
Recognition
The Executive Chef title at Xin Guang is the central recognition in Fang Liang’s career. It is recognition through responsibility: the trust to direct a named Shanghai kitchen whose work is judged in service, not in language around it. The professional standing is specific. Fang Liang is tied to Xin Guang Shanghai, to hairy crab and seafood, and to Shanghainese seafood cuisine in a city with exacting standards for the category. The measure is plain: disciplined handling, restraint, and the immediacy required when the ingredient sets the pace.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Fang
What is Fang Liang's current role?
Fang Liang is Executive Chef.
What is Fang Liang known for?
Hairy crab and seafood at Xin Guang in Shanghai.
