“Huizhou Tribute Chrysanthemum” is an outstanding variety selected from a group of chrysanthemums. Originally grown around Jinzhuling in She County, it is both ornamental and medicinal. According to folklore, “Huizhou Tribute Chrysanthemum” was originally introduced as an ornamental flower from Deqing County in Zhejiang by Huizhou merchants during the Song Dynasty. During a severe drought, many people suffered from red-eye…
Huizhou Hickory Nuts: A famous wild dried fruit, belonging to the deciduous trees of the Juglandaceae family, primarily produced in the Sanyang area of She County. Hickory nuts have a unique flavor, with a crisp kernel, sweet and delicious taste, an enticing aroma, rich nutrition, and considerable medicinal value. …
Bamboo Carving: The bamboo carving art of Huizhou is an important part of China’s bamboo carving tradition. Huizhou bamboo carving has its own distinctive local characteristics, but overall, bamboo carving works from any region are unified under distinct stylistic trends of their respective eras, while regional styles are not particularly prominent—individual styles, however, are highly distinctive. The bamboo incense tube, as the name suggests, was used to hold incense...
Stone Carvings: These include round carvings, relief carvings, and openwork carvings, made from granite, tea garden stone, and “Yixian Qing” stone. They are commonly used in memorial archways, foundational parts of residential buildings, and steles. There are many types of bamboo carvings, such as brush pots, decorative panels on bamboo chairs, carved bamboo chopsticks, bamboo bowls, and even bamboo couplets and divination tubes carved from monk’s bamboo in ancient temples. Bamboo items are typically engraved with images of orchids...
Huizhou Kiwifruit: Kiwifruit, locally called "foreign peach," is thought by some to resemble a potato in shape and is a sweet-and-sour fruit favored by foreigners. In fact, kiwifruit is a genuine local specialty of Huizhou. Legend has it that over 2,000 years ago, a kind of wild fruit grew on Huangshan Mountain. The macaques on the mountain loved to eat this fruit, which is why people...
“Hairy tofu” is a traditional famous dish from Huizhou. It is made by artificially fermenting tofu, causing a layer of white fuzz (white mycelium) to grow on its surface, hence the name “hairy tofu.” During fermentation, the proteins in the tofu break down into various amino acids, resulting in a more delicious taste than regular tofu. The fuzz turns…
“Two-Aroma Wenzheng Mountain Bamboo Shoots” is a traditional dish from the mountainous regions of Huizhou. Bamboo shoots are a prized mountain delicacy in Huizhou cuisine, and those from Wenzheng Mountain are the most tender among all varieties, though not particularly aromatic. By adding sausages, shiitake mushrooms, and other aromatic ingredients, the flavor is enhanced, giving rise to the name “Two-Aroma Wenzheng Mountain Bamboo Shoots.” The dish is prepared by simmering the bamboo shoots with ham bone and fresh pork…
“One-Pot Stew” is a type of hot pot commonly eaten in the mountainous regions of Huizhou during winter. Legend has it that this dish was created by Lady Yu, the First-Rank Imperial Concubine of Bi Qiang, who served as the “Minister of the Four Departments” in Shitai County during the Ming Dynasty. On one occasion, the emperor unexpectedly visited the minister’s residence. In addition to the delicacies served at the banquet, Lady Yu specially prepared a local Huizhou dish — a hot pot. Unexpectedly...
A famous dish from Huizhou. This dish is made using two renowned local ingredients from Huangshan — Huangshan yam and wild pigeon from Huangshan — cooked using the steam-braising method. “Braised Pigeon in Huangshan Style” features a clear broth, tender and falling-off-the-bone pigeon meat, and soft, fragrant yam, resulting in a rich yet refreshing flavor. Huangshan yam is one of the prized mountain delicacies, with a fine, crisp, and tender texture and delicious taste. It can be used as a vegetable or as a high-quality medicinal ingredient. As the ancients said,…
Huizhou woodcarving is one of the traditional “Four Huizhou Carvings.” The mountainous region of Huizhou is rich in timber, and most buildings are constructed with brick, wood, and stone, using a significant amount of wood. This provided artisans with ample opportunity to showcase their craftsmanship. In the past, Huizhou woodcarving was widely used for decorating buildings and household items. Its prevalence was...
Huizhou Snow Pear: The snow pear blossoms are pure white and glistening, while the fruit is as white as snow and as beautiful as jade, radiating a soft glow. After the Qingming Festival, in the pear-growing regions of She County—famous for its abundant snow pears—the trees, now sprouting tender leaves, are adorned with brown palm-fiber-wrapped, persimmon-lacquered, light-proof and air-tight, untrimmed paper bags. These bags remain on the trees for four to five months, until the pears are ripe and ready for harvest. The pears…
A school of penjing (potted plant) art named after ancient Huizhou. Represented by Maihua Fish Village in She County, it includes penjing created by folk artisans in regions such as Jixi, Yi County, and Xiuning. Known for its primitive, peculiar, vigorous, solemn, and profound characteristics, it has established a unique artistic style with a history of over 800 years and is renowned nationwide for its "Roaming Dragon Plum Trunk"...
With a history of over 100 years, it is made from raw lacquer extracted from natural plants, mixed with colored minerals and animal materials such as turquoise, cinnabar, coral, blue vein ore, and vermilion (known as earth lacquer or pineapple lacquer). Items lacquered with it—such as inkstone boxes, fruit boxes, pen holders, pen shafts, Huizhou baskets, and vases—are vibrant and dazzling in color...
A famous snack from Huizhou cuisine, also known as Huolu Biscuit, is a small baked cake filled with dried vegetables and diced pork. After being roasted in a stove, it takes on the shape of a crab’s back shell and a color resembling crab roe, hence the name. Fresh out of the oven, the Huoshao (baked cake) has an intense, rich aroma. Take a bite and it's both crispy and flaky, with layers peeling away to leave a lingering fragrance — its flavor is truly memorable. Preparation method: Use oil that has been simmered to about seven…
A famous Huizhou-style snack. Preparation: The ingredients include four live crabs, each weighing three liang (about 150g), soy sauce, Huizhou Scenery Wine, garlic cloves, ginger, rock sugar, Sichuan peppercorns, salt, and some sorghum liquor. Clean the crabs thoroughly and drain all water; take one liang of Sichuan peppercorns and one jin of fine salt, stir-fry them in a pan until fragrant, then remove, let cool, and measure out four qian (about 16g) to use. Bash the ginger...
In the valleys and caves of Huizhou, there lives a species of frog that coexists with venomous snakes. Commonly known as "stone frog," it is a distinctive ingredient in Huizhou cuisine. Whether braised or steamed, the stone frog boasts an enticing aroma and plump hind legs, surpassing chicken in flavor. One of Huizhou’s signature dishes, Steamed Stone Frog, features a clear broth at the bottom and is steamed in a covered bowl to preserve its original taste. …
Zhuangyuan Rice, also known as Jujube Rice, is said to have been a dish eaten in the home of Liu Ruozhai, the top imperial scholar of the Ming Dynasty. Preparation method: (1) Wash glutinous rice, add water and steam until cooked. Remove, then mix with 90 grams of sugar and a small amount of lard until well blended. Pit the candied dates and set aside. (2) Grease a large bowl with lard, arrange lotus seeds in the center of the bowl, add the pitted dates, then fill with the steamed glutinous rice and arrange...
The brick carvings of Huizhou, Anhui (now She County, Anhui), have a long history, exquisite craftsmanship, and a unique style, renowned both in China and abroad. They are mainly used on gate towers, door hoods, upturned eaves, and column bases. Ancient brick carvings were mostly in relief, with a few in line engraving. Huizhou architecture typically features grayish-blue ridges and roofs, snow-white plastered walls, and polished blue bricks...
Sesame Crisp Candy Introduction: A renowned traditional pastry specialty of Huizhou. Sesame Crisp Candy has been a classic delicacy since the Southern Song Dynasty. It is made from roasted sesame seeds ground into powder, mixed with sugar and other ingredients, then wrapped in a small red paper into a rectangular shape. The red paper bears the shop’s logo. It has a sweet flavor and a soft, fluffy texture. The premium variety of Sesame Crisp Candy is called “Dingshi Su”…
Commonly known as "Big Dull Smell," it was created by Wang Zhihe during the Qing Dynasty's Kangxi era. After tasting it, Emperor Kangxi was full of praise and even personally wrote the two characters "Qing Fang" (Green Square) to bestow upon Wang Zhihe, which greatly boosted its fame. It stands in a renowned triumvirate alongside Shaoxing’s stinky thousand-layer tofu from Zhejiang and stinky fragrant dried tofu from Huainan, Anhui, enjoying fame both at home and abroad. Huizhou’s Big Dull Smell has a surface that is…