From being smuggled from the Forbidden City kitchen during the Qing Dynasty to surviving the Cultural Revolution, Ivan Li’s namesake Imperial cuisine boasts an epic backstory. It was only fitting that Li won “The Diners Club Lifetime Achievement Award” at the “Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants” awards last week. We caught up to Ivan Li to ask for his thoughts on winning, and the challenges of keeping his brand of Imperial Cuisine alive in 21st Century Shanghai.