Actor Sun Honglei. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The kitchen of a Michelin-starred restaurant has been rarely showcased in Chinese-language television dramas, but such an eatery takes center stage in a forthcoming series.

In To Be a Better Man, starring veteran actor Sun Honglei, a three-star Michelin restaurant and its kitchen become a major setting.

A Michelin chef is hired as the consultant to teach actors cooking skills. Alongside the training, the chef creates more than 60 recipes for the storyline.

The 40-episode drama will air on two satellite TV channels in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces from May 31. Simultaneously, the series will also be broadcast on the streaming site Letv.com.

Centering on a Chinese chef, the series narrates the man’s romances and struggles amid a series of cultural clashes after his return from the United States, where he has stayed for several years.

Sun, a 20-year screen veteran, says his role is a charming, funny guy.

"With his overseas experience, my character first encounters some misunderstandings back in China but soon finds his new orientation and goals," he said at a press event this week.

Li Xiao, the scriptwriter, says it will be an unlikely tale that is "far from ordinary life".

To re-create some millionaire characters' affluent lifestyle, the crew rented some expensive "props", such as 3-million-yuan ladies' bag and two drone cameras.