Made by smoking fresh pork, it is a delicacy served to guests by the Dong people. The Dong have a tradition of raising plump pigs. Every year before the Spring Festival, families slaughter their pigs. Aside from keeping a small amount of fresh meat for the holiday, the rest is cut into pieces, salted, and hung over the fire pit to be smoked. After the beginning of spring, the meat is taken down and stored in a ventilated area or storage room, where it can be preserved for more than six months…
The giant salamander, scientifically known as "Andrias davidianus," is the largest and most precious living amphibian in the world. Its call resembles the cry of a baby, hence the name "giant salamander." It is a Class II protected aquatic wildlife species in China and a key focus in agricultural industrialization and specialty agriculture development. Wild giant salamanders in Xinhuang County mainly live…
Xinhuang Dong Black Rice is a specialty of Xinhuang in Huaihua, Hunan Province. The Xinhuang Dong Autonomous County is located in the northern part of Huaihua City, bordering Guizhou Province to the west, south, and north, and connected to Zhijiang to the east. It is the land of the ancient "Yelang Kingdom," boasting a long and rich history of rice cultivation culture, and is also the birthplace of hybrid rice. The black rice variety is precious and rare…
Huitong Konjac is a specialty of Huitong County, Huaihua City, Hunan Province. The product comes from the administrative regions of 18 townships in Huitong County, Hunan Province, including Lincheng Town, Pingcun Town, Baozi Town, Ma'an Town, Jinzhu Town, Ruoshui Town, Tuanhe Town, Guangping Town, Shaxi Township, Lianshan Township, Dilin Township, Gaoyi Township, Pao'tuan Township, Jinziyan Township, Qinglang Township, Mobin Township, Puwen Township, and Baotian Township...
Huitong Navel Oranges Huitong County currently has 4,400 hectares of citrus orchards, including 2,000 hectares dedicated to navel orange cultivation, primarily of the Newhall, Hamlin, and Ponkan varieties. Huitong navel oranges have won gold and silver awards in Hunan Province’s High-Quality Fruit Evaluation, as well as the National Ministry of Agriculture’s Quality Agricultural Products Award. This project integrates production, processing, storage, and sales...
Nuo masks are props used in Nuo opera performances, belonging to the art of painted wood carving. They are divided into specialized Nuo masks and general-purpose Nuo masks: the specialized ones include over 30 types such as Yang Wu, Yang Si, Sheng Gong, and Sheng Mu; the general-purpose ones are mainly categorized into roles like Sheng (male), Dan (female), Jing (painted face), and Chou (clown). These masks vary greatly in expression depending on the character.…
The cured pork from Tonghuo Tang is known for being rich but not greasy, lean but not dry, offering a fragrant taste that lingers long after eating. It is considered a premium dish served by the Dong people when entertaining guests. Its preparation method involves cutting the pork into long strips, marinating them with wine, salt, ginger, and five-spice powder for 5–6 days. The meat is then taken out to air-dry in a well-ventilated area. After…
Flower rice cake is a traditional handicraft food hand-shaped by Dong women. It serves both as an ornamental item and a delicious treat, making it a top choice for gifts during festivals and a delightful dish to serve honored guests. Flower rice cake is made from high-quality glutinous rice ground into fine powder, mixed with water to form rice dough balls of various sizes, which are then…
Stir-fried chili peppers, also known as oil-fried chili peppers, are an indispensable dish at weddings and festive banquets in the Dong ethnic villages of Huitong. Renowned throughout the Dong region for their spicy, crispy, and fragrant qualities. “Stir-fried chili peppers” are made from large, fresh green chilies. The chilies are washed and blanched in boiling water to soften them, then the stems are gently removed using small bamboo skewers. A small opening is made to remove the seeds…
Every year in the twelfth lunar month, Dong women are busy making "blood tamales sausage." First, soak an appropriate amount of glutinous rice with some salt. When butchering the pig, collect the last of the pig’s blood in a basin as the flow slows, and clean the pig’s large intestine. Pour the blood into the drained glutinous rice, then mix in seasonings such as scallions, ginger, five-spice powder, and soy sauce, and stir...
Black rice is made by squeezing juice from leaves of a plant called Manpoxiang and using it to cook glutinous rice, which turns black once cooked. On the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, it is essential to prepare black rice, along with wine and meat, and invite married daughters back home as guests. This custom is rooted in the legendary story of Yang Jiumei rescuing Yang Bage...
Winter bamboo shoots are a delicious food rich in nutritional value and medicinal benefits. They are tender, flavorful, crisp, and refreshing, containing proteins, various amino acids, vitamins, as well as trace elements such as calcium, phosphorus, and iron, along with abundant dietary fiber. They can promote intestinal peristalsis, aiding digestion while also helping to prevent constipation and the occurrence of colon cancer. …
Hometown of Guangmu – Huitong County
The Golden-Feathered Black-Meat Chicken is a high-quality breed developed in Chenxi. It gets its name from its golden-yellow feathers and the black coloration of its skin, meat, feet, and beak. This breed has stable genetic traits and pure lineage. Its economic value lies in its medicinal properties—as a traditional and precious Chinese medicinal ingredient, it combines therapeutic use, nourishment, culinary appeal, and ornamental value,...
In Xiangxi, especially in the rural areas around Chenxi in Xiangxi, there is such a custom: on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, whether married or unmarried men must give a gift (locally called "sending a basket") to their father-in-law or future father-in-law. Among the gifts—aside from items like cigarettes, sweets, alcohol, and meat—there is one indispensable item, which is…
Chenxi pickled radish is bright in color and crisp in texture, making it an essential dish at grand banquets in the mountainous regions of western Hunan. Due to its sweet and tangy flavor, which stimulates saliva and appetite, it has become immensely popular since hitting the market and is now a distinctive gift for friends and family far away. Chenxi pickled radish is primarily made from carrots grown on two major river islets (Muzhou and Dangjiangzhou) in the Yuan River...
Chenxi Hot Bed Fish is a dish that excels in color, aroma, and taste. It feels smooth to the touch, looks golden yellow, and tastes deliciously fragrant—truly a treat for both the eyes and the palate. The preparation of Hot Bed Fish is meticulous, involving complex procedures and strict ingredient selection. The fish must be live specimens caught in clear mountain streams, neither too big nor too small, ideally sixteen fish to make up one jin (500 grams), and they must not be left overnight. Immediately after catching, the fish are gutted, sprinkled with refined salt and seasonings, and then air-dried in a cool place. Next, aromatic oil infused with premium seasonings such as Sichuan pepper and cinnamon is applied to both sides of the fish. The fish are then placed on a bamboo sieve and set over an iron pot filled with freshly harvested rice grains. The bottom of the pot is heated fiercely until the rice grains burn out, at which point the fragrant Hot Bed Fish is ready to be served.
Dog meat is a famous dish from the Yao ethnic region of Chenxi, with a history of over 200 years. Dog meat refers to a whole dog being chopped up and stir-fried in one pot. To prepare dog meat, the first step is selecting the dog. According to Yao tradition: first yellow, second white, third spotted, fourth black. Yellow dogs are the preferred choice for making this dish. The ideal dog is 8 to 12 months old and weighs around 9 kilograms. After slaughtering, …
Blood Sausage Rice Cake is made by mixing pig’s blood with glutinous rice or millet, adding salt and seasonings, then stuffing the mixture into a pig’s large intestine. It is then boiled and dried until firm. The finished product has a dark reddish color. When served, it is steamed, sliced, and has a rich flavor that is soft and sticky—making it an ideal dish for both the elderly and children. …
Chenxi Fragrant Pomelo, produced in Chenxi County, Huaihua, covers over 20,000 mu across the city with an annual output of more than 10,000 tons. Each fruit weighs around 1,200 grams and matures in early to mid-November. The fruit is well-shaped, spherical, orange-yellow, with fine and dense oil glands. Its segments are comb-like, evenly distributed, and it has a small central column. It boasts a richly sweet flavor, melts smoothly with tender pulp, is crisp and juicy, and has no…