About

Food brings people together. For hotpot, this holds especially true. It is not just a dish or cooking method, it is a culture on its own. Huddling around the table together, sharing food, trying out new things, and taking the time to enjoy the hotpot and each other’s company is what hotpot is all about.

By sharing the must-knows on DIY hot pot, dining out options, and latest hot pot trends, Hotpot Ambassador aims to promote ‘hotpot culture’ and share the love for hot pot and everything that comes with it.

Hotpot Ambassador is an initiative by hotpot fanatic Manya Koetse (@manyapan), who is a China social trend watcher, and the editor-in-chief of What’s on Weibo, a website providing social, cultural & historical insights into an ever-changing China. Manya’s experiences in China have resulted in an ongoing strong connection with this country, its language, people, and culture.

Over the past decade, Manya’s love for hotpot has grown into somewhat of a hotpot mania; she is a frequent visitor of hotpot restaurants around Beijing, but also tries out the latest hotpot products at home. Based in Amsterdam and partly in Beijing, she is a fan of ‘fusion hotpot’ – combining traditional Chinese hotpot flavors with products or tastes from Southeast Asia or Europe. Her dream is to one day open up a hotpot restaurant herself.

There are countless ways to eat hotpot, and this blog mostly focuses on the Chinese hotpot. You can find our most recent blogs under ‘Latest‘, the essential articles on hotpot under ‘Hotpot Basics‘, our recommendations for restaurants under ‘Hotpot Restaurants‘, everything about DIY hotpot under ‘Hotpot at home’, and under ‘Products‘ there’s all the essential products for creating your own hotpot parties. (Please note that some parts of this website are still under construction!)