Taigu Turtle Age Collection is a specialty product from Taigu County, Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province. The Turtle Age Collection has now been marketed to regions such as Hong Kong and Macau, and even exported to 21 countries in Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. To meet the diverse needs of pharmaceuticals and exports, the people of Taigu used the fine Fenjiu liquor as the base spirit and brewed the Turtle Age Collection into a distinctive and premium medicinal wine...
Lang Jujube The Lang Jujube is mainly grown in areas such as Taigu, Qixian, and Pingyao in Shanxi Province. It is one of the predominant local varieties, accounting for about 80% of the total cultivated jujubes in the region. Its cultivation history is unclear, but many centuries-old jujube trees can be found across all jujube-growing areas, making it one of the region’s ancient cultivated varieties. The fruit is medium to large and cylindrical in shape. The skin is relatively thin, deep red, and the surface is smooth...
Fried dough is a traditional food from Taigu County, resembling steamed buns but made by deep-frying. It has a crispy exterior and a soft interior, with a sweet and delicious taste. During the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong era, Taigu County already had fried foods such as oil pancakes and oil cakes. By the Xianfeng and Tongzhi periods, “Longshengchang” (originally named “Longshengchang”) on West Street began producing fried dough, specifically for wealthy families. …
Shuixiu Township: "Shuangtai" brand mature vinegar: exported overseas...
Taigu “Liubiju” Pickled Vegetables…
The "Academic Star" sweet and sticky corn is rich in nutritional value, containing abundant essential trace elements and active dietary fiber needed by the human body. It serves as a natural remedy for lifestyle diseases caused by overnutrition in modern society, and has received unanimous praise from users. (Taigu)…
The Pot-bellied Jujube is produced in Taigu, Shanxi. The trees are robust, tall, and have a semi-spreading canopy. The fruiting shoots are reddish-brown with well-developed thorns. The bearing branches are large, and the fruit-bearing stalks are of medium length. The leaves are relatively large, long-ovate, and dark green. (Taigu)…
The miraculous medicine "Dingkun Dan," widely recognized as a wonder drug, is a renowned gynecological remedy produced by Shanxi Traditional Chinese Medicine Factory. Its prescription is ingeniously crafted with well-balanced ingredients. In addition to its exceptional efficacy in regulating menstruation and invigorating blood circulation, it also helps soothe qi, strengthen the spleen, nourish blood, stop bleeding, relieve pain, and build up strength. Historical records indicate that Dingkun Dan was first created during the fourth year of the Qianlong reign in the Qing Dynasty (1739 AD). At that time, the Imperial Hospital in the capital gathered famous physicians from across the country to compile the comprehensive medical text "Golden Mirror of Medicine." As palace concubines were suffering from gynecological illnesses, affecting the continuity of the imperial lineage, Emperor Qianlong ordered that these female disorders be included in the research. With the gathering of top physicians and collective wisdom, rare prescriptions were compiled, combining ingredients such as ginseng, deer antler, angelica, safflower, notoginseng, Atractylodes macrocephala, wolfberry, nutgrass galingale rhizome, and deerhorn frost into one formula. After clinical trials, it repeatedly proved effective. Delighted, Emperor Qianlong named this prescription "Dingkun Dan," meaning "to calm and secure the female womb," designating it as an "official exclusive wonder medicine" — it was not even permitted to be included in the then-being-compiled "Golden Mirror of Medicine." At the time, Sun Yanjue, an imperial censor in the court and a native of Taigu, Shanxi, had a mother suffering from a chronic gynecological illness that remained untreatable. He managed to obtain the prescription for "Dingkun Dan" from the Imperial Hospital and gave it to his family-run pharmacy, "Baoyuantang," for preparation. The medicine proved to be miraculously effective, and when given to other female family members, it also showed excellent results. Later, after the decline of the Sun family and the closure of Baoyuantang, the prescription for Dingkun Dan was passed on to Guangshengju. From then on, this "official exclusive wonder medicine" became a widely used and effective gynecological remedy among the public. In 1979, Dingkun Dan was named a high-quality product of Shanxi Province by the Shanxi Provincial People’s Government, and in 1980, it won the National Silver Medal. Today, this famous gynecological medicine is sold throughout China and has reached over 20 countries and regions overseas. (Taigu)
Niēbābā, also known as miēgēdā, is traditionally served as a supplement to rural staple breakfast foods such as steamed cornbread (wōwōtóu) or mantou, though it can also be eaten as a main dish. The flour used to make niēbābā includes wheat flour, sorghum flour, and fine millet flour, while the accompanying vegetables generally fall into two categories: wild greens and cultivated vegetables. Wild greens include alfalfa, sow thistle, sandrice, and cornmeal…
This handmade craft from the rural areas of Shanxi is very common. Each region’s embroidery has its own unique style—some are lavish and exquisite, others solemn and clear, and still others simple yet refined. There are three main types of embroidered works: clothing, daily items, and ceremonial decorations. On traditional garments, embroidery is often used to decorate collars, sleeves, and children's shoes...
Lingshi dough figurines are locally known as "lamb cakes." In ancient times, the character for "sheep" (羊) was synonymous with "auspiciousness" (祥), hence symbolizing good fortune. Before the Spring Festival, rural women would craft dough figurines in the shapes of kittens, puppies, tiger cubs, jade rabbits, chickens, ducks, fish, frogs, grapes, pomegranates, eggplants, and Buddha’s hands — all representing blessings, prosperity, wealth, and honor. During...
Main ingredient: mung bean flour; accompaniments: peanuts, bean sprouts, and seasonings. The mixture is deep-fried into balls and then soaked in a hot, well-seasoned broth. It is delicious, nutritious, and has the function of clearing heat and reducing summer heat. …
In the Dongshan area, there is a legend that tells of how Emperor Zhao Kuangyin, on his way from Huangze Pass to Shanxi during the dog days of summer, arrived at Nanchaguan Temple feeling exhausted and thirsty, craving something cool to eat. Just then, an elderly bald-headed master arrived with a bowl of white noodle-like food. After eating it, Zhao Kuangyin found it refreshingly delicious and asked what it was made of. The master replied that it was made…
Hehe Rice is a widely popular home-cooked dish in Lingshi and one of the region's more distinctive local foods. There are two main types: Boiled Dumpling Hehe Rice and Noodle-Flag Hehe Rice, but they are largely similar in nature and share nearly identical cooking methods. Boiled Dumpling Hehe Rice involves making small cornmeal patties and boiling them in the pot. Once cooked, they are served with a dip made of fried scallions and other seasonings...
Bone Piles are one of the most representative local delicacies of Lingshi, known for their tender, flaky texture and rich nutrition. They are widely praised as a delicious dish. On the sixth day of the eleventh lunar month in the 26th year of the Guangxu reign (1900), Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu were on their way to Xi’an and passed through Lingshi. At the official residence of the He family in Liangdu, they tried Bone Piles along with Hehe Rice, which greatly whetted their appetites and earned high praise...
Oil cake is one of the more premium varieties among Lingshi’s local snacks and is an essential food item for festivals, entertaining guests, weddings and funerals, as well as religious ceremonies in Lingshi. There is a saying: “If you don’t eat cake on the Winter Solstice, the demons will brush against your door.” This means that regardless of wealth, every household must eat cake on this day. It symbolizes that good fortune will rise step by step (like rising cake) in the coming year, and life will be sweet (like the filling). …
Lingshi Gulei is a specialty of Lingshi County in Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province. Gulei is one of the most representative local delicacies of Lingshi—crumbly, tender, delicious, and highly nutritious. It is widely praised as a tasty dish. On the sixth day of the eleventh lunar month in the 26th year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty (November 29, 1900), Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu were on their westward journey to Xi'an and passed through Lingshi. At the residence of the He family, a prestigious official household in Liangdu, they had...
Yellow Strips, also known as steamed sponge cake, is one of the staple foods served in the morning. The ingredients include wheat flour, bean flour, mixed grain flour, rice flour, cornmeal, sorghum flour, or combinations such as two-flour mix (two types of flour blended together) or three-flour mix (three types of flour blended together).
Stalls Stalls are one of the foods people love to eat, especially suitable for the elderly and children. However, because they are troublesome and time-consuming to make, they are rarely consumed under normal circumstances. But on the second day of the second lunar month each year, every household must make and eat them. Legend has it that this day is when the dragon raises its head, and making stalls is commonly known as pulling...
He Guo Guo In the Lingshi dialect, it is called Ge Guo Guo. Similar to juice noodle soup but slightly thicker, it is a simple, easy-to-make, and convenient staple food, especially during tough times in the past when it became one of the main foods for farmers to save on grain. He Guo Guo varies in taste depending on the ingredients used…