One of the top ten local signature dishes of Songzi City. Golden Pork Knuckle: Dish features: Nutritious, visually appealing, and known to strengthen the spleen and stomach, as well as improve overall health. Preparation method: Ingredients include pork knuckle, cardamom, salt, monosodium glutamate, etc. First, clean the pork knuckle, then blanch it in oil over low heat. Use star anise, fennel, cloves, cardamom, salt, monosodium glutamate,…
Mashatan Radish Mashatan Village, under the administration of Songzi City Lusheng Local Specialty Industry Development Center, is located on the outskirts of the town. The Shishui Tourism Avenue runs through the village, earning it the reputation as the gateway to Shishui tourism. The village has 1,021 households, a population of 3,063, covers a land area of 10 square kilometers, with 2,580 mu of arable land, and consists of 12 villager groups within its jurisdiction. …
Street River Market tobacco leaves from the Green Life Local Specialty Industry Development Center in Songzi City, Hubei Province. Tobacco is an annual or short-lived perennial herbaceous plant of the Solanaceae family. The plant is covered with glandular hairs, with stems 0.7–2 meters tall. The petiole is inconspicuous or forms a wing-like structure. The inflorescence is terminal and conical. The calyx is tubular or tubular-campanulate, and the corolla is funnel-shaped with a pinkish tip. The fruit is a capsule, and the seeds...
Songzi City is located in the southwestern part of Hubei Province, covering a total land area of 2,235 square kilometers with 923,000 mu of cultivated land. It administers 16 towns, 2 development zones, 235,000 households, and a population of 890,000, including 684,000 agricultural residents. It borders Jingzhou to the east, Yichang to the west, Wuling to the south, and the Yangtze River to the north. With abundant fruits and crops covering the fields, it is…
Jingzhou Eight-Treasure Rice originally comes from a Qing Dynasty imperial chef who, after leaving the palace, opened a restaurant in Jingzhou City. For over a hundred years, despite the changing of times, the imperial flavor of this Eight-Treasure Rice has remained unchanged, earning it the nickname “Imperial Eight-Treasure.” This dish is made with red dates, lotus seeds, coix seeds, longan meat, honeyed cherries, honeyed winter melon strips, osmanthus sugar, and…
Features: Jingzhou hickory nuts are one of the “Three Treasures of Jingzhou.” They are truly pollution-free, high-altitude green food, rich in various minerals, vitamins, and essential amino acids needed by the human body. They help lower cholesterol, prevent arteriosclerosis, and promote the development of children’s brain cells. A notable feature of Jingzhou hickory nuts is their plump kernels…
A traditional seasonal snack for welcoming spring. It originated from the "Spring Platter" that people in the Jin Dynasty exchanged as gifts on the day of Lichun (the Beginning of Spring). During the Tang and Song dynasties, the custom of eating "Spring Platters" became even more popular. Du Fu once left the verse "On a spring day, a spring platter holds delicate greens" in Jingzhou, and Su Shi also...
As early as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the embroidery craftsmanship in the Jingzhou area had already reached a very high level. The silk fabrics unearthed from the Mashan No. 1 Warring States Chu Tomb, known as the "Silk Treasury," are the earliest and most complete embroidered handicrafts existing in China and even the world. After the Qin and Han dynasties, inheriting the tradition of Chu embroidery, the stitching techniques developed…
Originating from the Chu State during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. A large number of wooden-bodied lacquerware items unearthed from Chu tombs in Jingzhou mostly feature unique shapes, delicate carvings, exquisitely painted designs, forming a typical representation of Chu culture. Despite being buried underground for over 2,300 years, they remain vividly colored and brilliantly lustrous. Jingzhou lacquerware has been passed down through generations, with craftsmanship continuously refined. The gold-lacquered basins and buckets produced in the late Yuan Dynasty are the precursors to today’s body-flower faded-lacquer ware. The vermilion lacquer boxes made during the Ming Dynasty were nationally renowned handicrafts. In the late Qing Dynasty, sets of mythological-themed carved lacquerware such as "Ten Kings of Hell," "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea," and "Havoc in Heaven" were exported to the South Seas, the United States, Japan, India, and other countries. The "gold-lacquered trays and basins" were exhibited at the 1911 Guangzhou International Exposition. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Jingzhou lacquerware inherited traditional techniques from past dynasties to produce antique-style lacquerware, bringing the ancient art of lacquering back to brilliant prominence. Antique-style lacquerware uses ancient nanmu wood excavated from tombs as the base material, treated with faded lacquer (water-ground lacquer), resulting in lively and refined craftsmanship, as well as graceful and lightweight designs. The main decorative styles include hand-painted, gold-leafed, and inlaid designs. Notably, lacquerware replicating unearthed Chu cultural relics—such as tiger-seat flying birds, tiger-seat bird-frame drums, reclining deer, mandarin duck beans, ear cups, and cosmetic boxes—combine exquisite ornamentation with durability and collectible value.
“Spring rolls” are a traditional folk delicacy served to guests during the Spring Festival in Jingzhou. Du Fu once wrote the line “On a spring day, a plate of fine fresh greens.” The “spring plate” refers to a dish where vegetables are wrapped in a thin pancake. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, the spring plate has gradually evolved into what we now call “spring rolls.”&n…
Legend has it that when Emperor Qianlong made his third southern tour and passed through Honghu, the local governor, wishing to honor the emperor, asked the chefs to show their best skills and serve lotus root without letting the emperor see any actual lotus root. The chefs pondered their signature dishes, and one of them recalled how during famine years, people had relied on lotus roots for sustenance by mashing them into balls. So...
Boiled Blackfish in Chili Oil is a signature dish from Jingzhou District, Jingzhou City, Hubei Province. The main ingredient is blackfish, which is nutritious and delicious. It is one of the top ten famous dishes of Jingzhou. Here's how to make Boiled Blackfish in Chili Oil: Main ingredients: 1000g blackfish, 200g soybean sprouts, 30g egg white …
Haizi Lake (also known as Changhu Lake) is the third-largest freshwater lake connected to a river in Hubei Province. It stretches 30 kilometers from east to west, with an average width of 4 kilometers and a water area of approximately 120 square kilometers. The lake features a diverse landscape of hills, plains, water bodies, rivers, and mudflats, boasting excellent ecology and beautiful surroundings. It is a rare area that serves multiple functions including flood storage,...
Jingzhou Large White Bream, scientifically known as Culter alburnus, has an elongated, laterally compressed body shaped like a willow leaf. Its flesh is tender, delicious, and refreshingly palatable, making it highly favored by consumers. Jingzhou Large White Bream has been awarded the status of a National Geographical Indication Product. Jingzhou Large White Bream, scientifically known as Culter alburnus, has an elongated, laterally compressed body shaped like a willow leaf. The back is bluish in color, the sides are silvery...
Zhujú has a long history of cultivation in Jingzhou. It was widely planted in the Jiangling area, the capital of the Chu State, during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. The patriotic poet Qu Yuan’s famous poem “Ode to the Orange” helped make Zhujú renowned throughout the land. During the prosperous Tang Dynasty, renowned poets such as Du Fu, Bai Juyi, Du Mu, Yuan Zhen, and Yang Heng all sang its praises. By the Song Dynasty, Zhujú had become a tribute fruit for the imperial court. …
"Jishan Rice" is produced in areas such as Chuandian, Mashan, Jinan, Balingshan, and Libu in Jian'an District, Jingzhou — the site of the ancient Chu capital. It gets its name from being irrigated with water from the Jishan Spring. According to the 1766 *Jiangling County Annals* of the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty: “The spring pool is dark and deep, its waters clear and green, neither drying up nor overflowing.” Since ancient times, local farmers have used this water to irrigate their rice paddies. The resulting grains...
In the southeastern part of Chuandian Town, Jiangzhou District, Hubei Province, lies a village called Sun Village. It borders Gusu to the west, Zijin to the north, Haolin Village of Mashan Town to the south, and Guodian Village of Jishan Town, Jingmen to the east. Covering a total area of 3,500 mu, the village has 2,200 mu of arable land, comprises seven villager groups, and has a population of 1,227. Today, Sun Village boasts…
Early Morning Noodles are a famous traditional breakfast dish in Jingzhou with a history of over 100 years. Legend has it that during the Qing Dynasty, the owner of a local noodle shop, noticing that residents woke up early, loved richly flavored food ("tiao da"), and preferred eating out for breakfast ("zao guo"), started selling noodles at the crack of dawn—hence the name. Making Early Morning Noodles begins every night at midnight…
Jingzhou Fish Cake, also known as Jingzhou Flower Cake, is a traditional local delicacy originating from the Warring States period. Legend has it that during the Warring States era, there was a tavern in the Chu capital of Ji'nan City (modern-day Jingzhou) that specialized in cooking fresh fish. One summer, the owner bought a large quantity of fresh fish, but with few customers, many fish went unsold. Fearing the fish would spoil, the owner came up with a clever idea and made them into a fish cake. Diners who tried it found it tender, delicious, and unforgettable...
Using mandarin fish as the boat, egg floss as straw figures, and shredded bamboo shoots as arrows, the dish “Borrowing Arrows with Straw Boats” is a remarkably lifelike traditional local delicacy from Hubei. The dish involves cleaning the mandarin fish, coating it with flour, shaping it like a boat, then deep-frying it until crispy on the outside and tender inside, before pouring on a tomato-based sauce…