'A Bite of China,' a documentary centering on the history of Chinese cuisines, met with rave reviews when its first season aired in 2012. Now the show has returned with a second season. But the result this time has been far from unanimous. In addition to mixed reviews, the new season has also been sprinkled with controversy, prompting director Chen Xiaoqing to publicly answer people's doubts.

Director of 'A Bite of China' clears doubts

Like its predecessor, season two of 'A Bite of China' quickly went viral.

Although the documentary has generated hundreds of thousands of views since its release, some argue that it's a parody of BBC documentary 'Human Planet.'

One of the scenes that has stirred debate is found in the first episode of season 2, when a man in China's Tibet Autonomous Region has to climb up a huge tree to get honey for his brother. It closely resembles a scene in 'Human Planet', when an African tribesman mounts up a gigantic tree to obtain honey.

"It's a salute to the classics. I would be lying if I said I wasn't imitating Human Planet. But let's make this clear, we didn't intentionally ask the guy to do that for us. The director of that episode told me that's exactly the way they collect honey," said chief director of 'A Bite of China' Chen Xiaoqing said.

But the controversy doesn't stop with claims of stolen ideas.

Viewers of the documentary say the behavior of the protagonist in 'Daily Domestics' -- the 4th episode of season 2 -- is rather odd. A woman accompanies her daugher in Shanghai for her music studies while the father works far away... only to provide fiscal support for their daughter's viola lessons.

The couple doesn't see each other for five straight years out of fear it might interrupt their daughter's study.

"I chose this family because that episode is all about home-cooked food. There are big families, small families and special families, resulting in disparate dishes," Chen Xiaoqing said.

Chen adds that he loves to roam around hutongs in seach for stories of different generations. He says he works tirelessly to keep record of all the juicy anecdotes from common people who truly appreciate what they have in life. 'A Bite of China' is just one of his many attempts to introduce Chinese food and dining culture to the rest of the world.

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