The King of Sesame Balls features sesame seeds that glisten on every grain, its shape like an inflated balloon, with a glossy exterior, thin and translucent skin, and a sweet and delicious taste that makes you fall in love at first sight. There's an art to eating it — you have to gently break a small part of the skin first to let some of the steam escape, otherwise you might accidentally burn your lips. The very outermost layer is extremely crispy, and then...
The name Nest Bird's Nest may sound fun, but making it is no easy task. It is made with a selection of high-quality ingredients including wheat starch, lard, salted egg yolk, quail eggs, and fine bean paste. Quail eggs are highly nutritious, salted egg yolk is rich in flavor, and the addition of lard and bean paste makes this snack truly irresistible. The Hangzhou snack Nest Bird's Nest uses carefully selected wheat starch,...
When it comes to the name Hangzhou Wan Jia Deng Huo (Ten Thousand Homes in Lights), many people must have heard of it. It is a well-known domestic brand and hotel, as well as a China Green Food Enterprise and one of China’s Top 100 Catering Enterprises. The two dim sum items recommended here fully demonstrate how Wan Jia Deng Huo has always maintained strict standards for green practices and quality. The name Durian Pastry is no doubt familiar to many…
The Mini Chicken Pastry is made primarily with premium flour, salad oil, and red bean paste. First, the water-oil dough and small puff pastry are rolled out, wrapped around the red bean filling, shaped, and then baked in an oven. The resulting pastries are small, adorable in appearance, and emit a tempting aroma even before tasting. With one bite, you'll experience a crispy exterior and a smooth, sweet filling—perfectly delightful and suitable for all ages. …
Legend has it that there was a bamboo grove near Guangyuan Temple at Gushan in Hangzhou. The monks in the temple loved eating bamboo shoots but were not good at cooking them, only able to boil or stew them. When Su Dongpo served as the prefect of Hangzhou, he interacted with the monks and shared his techniques for cooking bamboo shoots. This dish is made by stir-frying, sautéing, and braising tender bamboo shoot shoots with aromatic wine lees...
Hangzhou Embroidery, also known as Hang Embroidery or Ancient Embroidery, originated in the Han Dynasty and reached its peak during the Southern Song Dynasty. At that time, embroidery was divided into two categories: “Imperial Embroidery” and “Folk Embroidery.” The former specialized in sewing various garments for the royal family and imperial gardens, while the latter was used for official attire, quilt covers, screens, wall hangings, and more. This tradition continued to flourish until the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period…
Goldfish, also known as koi or ornamental goldfish, evolved from wild crucian carp. With their unique shapes, vibrant colors, and elegant postures, they are regarded as living artworks and are beloved as ornamental fish. China is the homeland of goldfish.
When cooking, plump and fresh yellow eels are selected, their heads and tails removed and bones taken out before being sliced into eel pieces. The pieces are first sautéed in vegetable oil, then stir-fried in meat oil, and finally drizzled with sesame oil until they turn golden and crispy. Fresh river shrimp are cleaned, coated with egg white, and lightly stir-fried until tender and white. Premium noodles are boiled in the pan without sticking or becoming mushy. The original sauce is used to cook the noodles, allowing them to absorb the aroma of the eel, resulting in richly flavored, tender noodles with a thick, savory sauce…
Chestnuts are one of the main forest specialty products in our city, grown in towns and villages across the area. Currently, there are 60,000 mu of chestnut orchards in the city, with 30,000 mu under cultivation, yielding over 1,300 tons annually. The main producing areas include Shouchang, Yao Village, and Xin'anjiang, among others, with Shouchang chestnuts being the most renowned for their large, plump kernels, glossy red hue, white and sweet flesh, and premium quality...
Jiande oranges are widely produced across Jiande, with "Sandu Early Orange" being the most popular. The main varieties include seedless orange, Bendizao, and Vermilion, among others (Jiande)…
Originally known as Yanju Dried Vegetable Pastry, Yanju Crispy Cakes are a traditional and renowned snack from Jiande. They combine a fluffy, flaky, and crisp texture with a fragrant aroma. The cakes are made with premium flour mixed with water at varying temperatures and vegetable oil. The filling consists of marbled pork fat blended with high-quality dried vegetables. A layer of sugar syrup and oil is brushed on the outside, and the cakes are sprinkled with black and white sesame seeds before being baked in a specially…
Yanzhou White Pear, also known as Jiande White Pear, is a traditional and renowned fruit of Jiande City. It is a bestseller in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Jiangxi, and other regions. The fruit is large, celebrated for its thin skin, crisp flesh, abundant juice, minimal core, and low residue, with a soluble solids content of 9.93 degrees. It was an imperial tribute during the Southern Song Dynasty. Yanzhou Snow Pear is rich in sugars,...
Jiande Wujiapi has been produced since the Qianlong era over 200 years ago. This liquor is made by soaking 23 types of herbs that relax muscles and improve blood circulation, primarily Wujiapi, in premium grain-based baijiu. It is known to invigorate blood flow, remove dampness, relieve muscle fatigue, and strengthen the body. Once widely sold across southern China and exported to Southeast Asia, it became an essential item for households and travelers alike…
Liye White Lotus is one of the traditional and renowned local products of Jiande City, flourishing in the surrounding areas centered around Liye Village in Daciyan Town. The most famous variety comes from Liye—its pith-removed white lotus seeds—and today all produced seeds are of the pith-removed type. Historical records indicate that lotus cultivation in Jiande has a history of over 350 years, with large-scale planting in Liye Village dating back to…
The Nine Surnames fishermen—Chen, Qian, Lin, Yuan, Sun, Ye, Xu, Li, and He. It is said that their ancestors were followers of Chen Youliang during the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties. After Chen’s defeat in the battle for supremacy against Zhu Yuanzhang, they were exiled to live in the waters of Yan Prefecture and were forbidden to set foot on land for generations. The Nine Surnames Fish Head King is inspired by the fishing folk’s blessing of “smooth sailing and a bountiful catch,”…
When ancient residents of Yanzhou built new houses and erected the main beam, they would often toss steamed buns to the onlooking villagers. The banquet of the day would also feature a dish of dried bamboo shoots and pickled vegetable braised pork belly, topped with several steamed buns. This was both a way to thank the construction workers and a gesture to attract wealth and good fortune—making it a folk dish rich in the flavors of Yanzhou. The dish is rich yet not greasy, fragrant, soft, and chewy...
Jiande City has a long history of tea culture, with documented evidence dating back to before the Tang Dynasty. Historical records such as the "Supplement to the History of the Tang Dynasty" mention Qian Dao Xi Cha (Fine Tea from Jiande) among the famous teas of the Tang era. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Jiande tea was listed as an imperial tribute. The Ming dynasty scholar Tan Qian wrote in his work "Zao Lin Za Zu": “Five jin of sprout tea from Jiande County” (the fine tea of Tang-era Jiande had evolved into sprout tea by the Ming). The "Complete Statutes of the Qing Dynasty" also record: “Of the 37 prefectures and counties that presented tribute in this dynasty, 10 were from Zhejiang,” and among them, the tea contributed by Yan State (which included Jiande) was sprout tea from Jiande. In 1960, with the completion and commissioning of the Xin’an River Hydropower Station, Qiandao Lake was formed. In 1982, tea producers from the Xin’an River area revived and innovated the traditional Jiande Xi Cha, renaming it Qian Dao Yin Zhen tea. In recent years, Qian Dao Yin Zhen tea has focused on improving quality, steadily increasing in recognition. It has earned titles such as one of Hangzhou’s Seven Treasures, Zhejiang Famous Agricultural Product, Zhejiang Well-known Trademark, China Well-known Trademark, and one of the Ten Famous Teas of Hangzhou. From 2010 to 2014, it won the Gold Award at the Zhejiang Agricultural Expo for five consecutive years, and in 2014 received the Gold Award at the China Green Food Expo.
SanDu Citrus is a specialty of Sandu Town, Jiande City, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. The citrus from Sandu in Jiande features thin, smooth skin, vibrant color, thick and juicy flesh, and a well-balanced sweet-and-sour taste that keeps you coming back for more. Sandu is located at the confluence of the Fuchun River, Xin’an River, and Lan River, surrounded by picturesque landscapes with a forest coverage rate as high as 86%. It has successfully been designated as a...
Dàyáng Crabs are a specialty of Dàyáng Town, Jiande City, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. The Dàyáng Crabs from Jiande are plump, rich in roe, and delicious in flavor. They are not only somewhat famous within Jiande City but have also gained renown in Shanghai, Hangzhou, and other places. All locally farmed crabs in Jiande belong to the Chinese mitten crab species, originating from the Yangtze River basin. Dàyáng Town in Jiande City is located along the Lan River and has historically been a prominent producer of river crabs. The Republican-era "Jiande County Annals" recorded that “the crabs from Huangcun in the county are flavorful and plump.” In 2009, the Dàyáng River Crab Ecological Farming Base passed the provincial-level pollution-free certification, and its products were recognized as ministry-level pollution-free.
Black peach eggs, also known as ash-wrapped salted eggs, hand-rubbed ash eggs, preserved eggs, or flavored eggs, get their name from the layer of dark plant ash rubbed onto their shells, giving them the appearance of small black peaches. These eggs have a unique flavor that is not greasy, easy to digest, and can stimulate the appetite. Their egg whites are smooth like congealed white jade, while the yolks resemble flowing red tangerine — rich, crumbly...