In Helsinki, Finland, February temperatures often dip to minus 15 degrees Celsius. Yet despite the biting cold, the city comes alive each year with celebrations for the Chinese New Year.
At one bustling food stall, shengjianbao — crispy, pan-fried stuffed buns — sizzled on a hot griddle, their steam rising into the icy air. A long line of visitors from around the world stretched far beyond the counter, with some people waiting nearly an hour for a taste.
"This is the busiest day I've ever seen," said vendor Fu Yuqi in a vlog she posted last month, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "We worked 11 hours straight — there was no time to rest."
Originally from Chengdu in Southwest China's Sichuan province, Fu has spent the past 15 years living in Rovaniemi, a northern Finnish city within the Arctic Circle. Before starting her food stall, she worked as a game concept artist and was also a popular food vlogger on Bilibili, China's video-sharing platform, where she has more than 2.2 million followers.
"I often post vlogs of cooking Chinese dishes for my Finnish family," Fu said. "Sitting together and sharing a meal — it's a small moment, but many viewers in China find it deeply comforting."
Her perspective changed after she helped at a friend's food booth. Serving dishes directly to strangers and seeing their reactions in real time gave her a sense of connection she had never experienced through online videos.
Rovaniemi, known as the home of Santa Claus, draws tourists year-round with its Arctic appeal, Fu explained."That's when I realized that a mobile food business could reach a much wider audience," she said.
Fueled by this insight, Fu purchased a secondhand food truck and transformed it. The vehicle is decorated with playful illustrations of classic Chinese dishes — dumplings and jianbing (Chinese pancakes) — alongside miniature figurines of her cartoon likeness and a panda.
"I'm from Sichuan, the home of pandas," she explained. "When people think of China, pandas are often the first thing that comes to mind. It immediately signals that this truck offers authentic Chinese cuisine."
But a cute truck alone was not enough to guarantee success.
Fu's first hurdle was obtaining a Hygiene Passport, a certificate required for all food vendors. The exam includes technical questions in Finnish, using specialized food-industry terminology. Undaunted, she took on the challenge and successfully earned her credentials.
Her next challenge was sourcing ingredients. With only a small Chinese community in Rovaniemi, authentic products were hard to come by.
"When planning my menu, I start with what's available locally," Fu explained. But as her offerings expanded, so did her need for specialty ingredients.
"Making dim sum (Cantonese cuisine), for example, requires tapioca starch, which is nearly impossible to find here," she said. To work around this, Fu turned to local Chinese restaurant owners, ordered from other cities, or even imported ingredients from abroad.
The process is both time-consuming and expensive. "The food truck often runs at a loss," Fu admitted. "But as a food vlogger, I share videos of my work, and occasional sponsorships help offset some of the costs."
