The 2026 Asian Pastry Cup (APC) was held in Singapore from April 22 to 23. Team China, comprising the champions of the 2025 China Pastry Cup and led by Coach Sam Zhu, distinguished itself among eight elite teams from across Asia with refined technical mastery and a distinctive creative vision. The team delivered a highly competitive performance, demonstrating strong technical capability and creative distinction on the regional stage. Competing alongside leading teams from China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore, the event brought together Asia’s top pastry talents, collectively showcasing the region’s evolving creativity and craftsmanship.

Team China at the 2026 Asian Pastry Cup

Founded in 2006 and held biennially in Singapore, the APC is widely recognized as a key gateway to the World Pastry Cup. This year’s competition featured plated dessert, travel cake, and frozen dessert composition. Under the theme “Corals and Cetacea: Endangered Sea Life,” teams were tasked with creating a single, fully integrated showpiece combining sugar art and chocolate—designed to be appreciated from multiple perspectives while exploring the relationship between nature and human impact.

Team China comprises Wang Sheng and Sun Tongtong, who successfully defended their respective titles in the Chocolate and Sugar Art categories at the Fifth China Pastry Cup in 2025. Both competitors are making their second appearance at the APC. At the 2024 edition in Singapore, their debut collaboration secured qualification for the WPC and delivered China’s best historical result with a fourth-place finish.

Wang Sheng is recognized for his forward-thinking approach and precise balance of flavor and visual artistry. He has served as national team coach for the sugar art pastry category at the 46th and 47th WorldSkills Competitions and was named a “National Technical Expert” in 2020.

Sun Tongtong, also a “National Technical Expert” and a first-level Western pastry technician, earned a gold medal for China at the 2021 Dessert Chocolate Digital Skills Competition and was awarded the title of “21st National Youth Talent” by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security in 2022.

Creative works of Team China at the 2026 Asian Pastry Cup

Team China is led by Coach Sam Zhu, who served as a committee member of the Fifth China Pastry Cup in 2025. His earlier accolades include bronze and gold medals in the chocolate buffet showpiece category at the Shanghai International Chef Competition in 2009 and 2011. In 2017, he led his team to victory at the inaugural China Pastry Cup, securing both the championship and Best Team Award. He later represented China at the 2018 Asian Pastry Cup, winning Best Chocolate Showpiece and Best Team Awards, and went on to serve as Team China Captain at the 2019 World Pastry Cup in Lyon.

In response to the theme “Corals and Cetacea: Endangered Sea Life,” Team China presented a showpiece titled “Echoes of the Deep: Abandonment and Rebirth.” The work constructs a powerful visual narrative through the contrast between chocolate and sugar art. The chocolate component, rendered in deep, muted tones, depicts shipwreck remains and discarded industrial debris—reflecting the imprint of human activity on the ocean. In contrast, the sugar art component uses translucent blue-green forms to capture humpback whales and dolphins in motion, evoking vitality, resilience, and renewal. Through the interplay of density and lightness, shadow and clarity, the piece creates a striking visual tension that calls attention to marine conservation and the fragile balance of ocean ecosystems.

Theme showpiece of Team China at the 2026 Asian Pastry Cup

Team China’s performance at this year’s APC underscores the continued advancement of Chinese pastry on the international stage, while setting a new benchmark for the domestic industry. Through high-level competition, the team has strengthened technical exchange, broadened creative perspectives, and further accelerated alignment with global standards. Looking ahead, a new edition of the China Pastry Cup will soon commence, identifying and preparing the next generation of pastry professionals for the 2028 Asian Pastry Cup. With a growing pipeline of talent and continued international engagement, Chinese pastry is poised to achieve even greater recognition in the years ahead.