Mao, also known as Liu Mao Xing, is the main protagonist of the anime True Cooking Master Boy. He is a thirteen-year-old boy raised in his mother's restaurant, the Chrysanthemum Tower in Sichuan, during a fictional era in nineteenth-century China known as the Era of the Cooking Wars. His mother, Pai, was a legendary chef called the Goddess of Cuisine or the Magician of Sichuan. After her death, Mao inherits her passion for cooking and a deep desire to follow in her footsteps as a master chef.

Despite his extensive knowledge of cooking, Mao rarely cooks at the start, leading others to underestimate his abilities. However, he possesses an extraordinary sense of taste and an unbridled imagination that allow him to analyze ingredients instantly, remember any flavor he has experienced with perfect clarity, and envision entirely new dishes. His early confrontation with his mother's disgraced former student, Shao An, forces Mao to reveal his hidden talent. He wins a cooking duel for ownership of the Chrysanthemum Tower by recreating his mother's secret Mapo Tofu, substituting minced meat with marinated and fried soybeans to achieve a unique crispiness. Provincial Commander Lee, impressed, grants Mao the restaurant but sends him to train at the Yang Spring Restaurant in Guangzhou under the tutelage of the vice head chef, Zhou Yu.

Mao's personality is defined by his unwavering determination, humility, and genuine love for cooking. He is curious and open-minded, always eager to learn new techniques and understand the science behind cooking. He respects his mentors and treats rivals with fairness. His primary motivation is to become a legendary chef like his mother and to protect the culinary traditions she upheld. Over the course of the story, he earns the title of Super Chef, becoming the youngest in history, and then embarks on a journey across China to find the Legendary Cookware, a set of eight mythical kitchen utensils said to counter the Dark Cooking Society, a sinister organization that threatens the culinary world.

Key relationships include his sister Ke Lin, who supports him; Zhou Yu, his strict but caring master; his companions Shirou (a cheerful Chinese-Japanese boy who calls him Brother Maoxing) and Meili (Zhou Yu's daughter, who develops romantic feelings for him). He also forms bonds with friendly rivals such as the calm and skilled Lan Feihong and the steel-rod pastry chef Xie Lu, who becomes like an older brother. His development is marked by growth from a gifted but inexperienced boy into a mature and resourceful chef. He learns to trust his senses, especially his sense of smell, masters advanced knife skills, flavor balancing, and presentation artistry, and becomes capable of creating innovative dishes under pressure.

Notable abilities include his superhuman palate, photographic taste memory, and the capacity to deduce and fuse flavors in his mind before cooking. He demonstrates remarkable creativity, such as making a phoenix-shaped bean sprout dish, rising dragon dumplings that appear to raise their heads under steam, and a chicken cooked underground using geothermal heat. He also becomes proficient in using the Seven Star Knife and shows resourcefulness in difficult situations, such as disguising himself when necessary. Throughout his journey, Mao's goal remains consistent: to become the best chef he can be and to carry forward his mother's legacy.