Mapo Tofu. Many of Ta Wan’s patrons are likely familiar with this classic dish from the land of the bamboo curtain. According to Kulineria, Mapo Tofu has been around since 1862 during the Qing Dynasty. At that time, a young man named Chen Chunfu and his wife owned a small restaurant at the Wanfu Bridge, located on the northern outskirts of Chengdu in Sichuan Province.