Braised chicken, also known as five-spice boneless chicken, has a history of nearly 100 years and is a renowned specialty dish from northern China, made by simmering a whole chicken in a brine. The main nutritional components of braised chicken include fat, protein, carotene, vitamins, dietary fiber, and minerals such as calcium, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, selenium, and magnesium. The chicken is cooked with a variety of Chinese herbs and spices. Once cooked, simply lift the leg and give it a shake — the meat will easily separate from the bone.
The halal braised chicken from Ma's Old Chicken Shop in Baoding is renowned far and wide as one of the region’s famous specialty products. With its bright color, beautiful shape, tender meat, and crispy yet soft bones, the chicken is succulent but not falling apart, offering a rich and fragrant taste. The braised chicken from Ma's Old Chicken Shop is made with premium ingredients and crafted with meticulous care. Only plump, well-fleshed live chickens with ample fat are selected, and all must be slaughtered according to Hui Muslim customs...
It is said that the predecessor of Yichunlou was a butcher shop that began selling affordable pork head meat stewed with stuffed flatbread, which became very popular among the working poor. In his childhood, Feng Yuxiang came from a poor family. When he visited the city, he couldn’t afford to dine at fancy restaurants and would always go to Yichunlou to eat pork head meat with stuffed flatbread. He developed a fondness for the restaurant. After Feng Yuxiang became a general, every…
Produced in Baoding, Hebei. Craftsmanship: Old cloth is beaten into a base material (gebei), and the adhesive cloth is pressed flat and tightly stretched, ensuring even thickness and straight structure. It is then cut into sole pieces, with each edge wrapped in new white cloth—small wrapping strips are 1.7–1.9 cm wide, large ones 2.7–2.85 cm. The filling is full and evenly distributed, with the sole layers stacked as five at the front and eight at the back…
Hawthorn Candy Apples As the weather turns cooler, the King of Candy Apples makes a reappearance on the streets of Rongcheng County. As a unique snack of Rongcheng, these candy apples are as delightful to the eye as they are to the taste buds, with their vibrant color, appealing shape, and perfectly balanced sweet-and-sour flavor that attracts countless food lovers. They’re especially popular with children, but young men and women are also often seen strolling the streets, each holding one as they snack and shop.…
Official Cuisine, also known as Government Cuisine, has a long history and is renowned for its elegance, featuring dishes such as "Pork Knuckle with Handle" and "Spring on Chopsticks." Merchant Cuisine stands out for its use of luxury ingredients, such as "Gold Coin Seaweed" and "Buddha's Hand Shark Fin." Representative dishes include "Four Joys of the Ming," "Milk Soup Pot Fish," "Braised Squid Strips," and "Three-Delicious Meat Stew." Folk...
Eight-Treasure Congee is primarily made with glutinous rice. It is paired with ingredients such as red dates, lotus seeds, lily bulbs, ginkgo nuts, longan flesh, and candied fruits, and can also include nuts like walnuts, hawthorn cake, raisins, peanuts, roses, cherries, and other fruits and vegetables. The basic preparation involves washing the glutinous rice, soaking it in water in a basin, steaming it, then mixing it with an appropriate amount of white sugar and cooked lard...
Spicy Dumplings, or La Zi Ge Da, are a specialty snack from Shunping County. The key lies in the broth — a pot of seasoned meat stock simmered to a rolling boil. Cubes of lean meat, each about an inch square, bob in the broth, adding a satisfying chew. The chili peppers are ground into an ultra-fine powder, not even sparing the seeds, then hot oil is poured over them. Listen for that sizzle as the aroma of chili fills the room. The chili powder isn’t used directly; instead, the infused oil is poured entirely into the broth. Crispy, deeply toasted flatbread is torn into chunks — the bigger the better — and dropped into the pot to cook. A big bowl is ladled out, filled with broth and meat, topped with shredded garlic sprouts and minced cilantro.
Pig and sheep casings—finished products. Available in medium-long, short-length, as well as dried skins and fresh/small tripe, dried/small tripe. They feature uniform caliber, high transparency, good gloss, and strong toughness, making them a natural casing for meat processing enterprises producing sausages, cured sausages, stuffed tripe, and other food products. …
Wild pecan nuts Wild walnuts are the most commonly seen in the tourist attractions on the outskirts of Shunping County. Walnuts are known as the "longevity food," with a sweet taste and warm nature. They can nourish the lungs and kidneys, enrich yin and support yang, moisten the intestines to relieve constipation, and soothe coughs and calm wheezing. The *Compendium of Materia Medica* states: "It treats deficiency-cold, coughing and wheezing, as well as pain in the waist and legs." The *Records of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Integrated* refers to it as…
Scorpions have been farmed in Shunping County for decades, yielding an annual production of 10 tons that can be exported to countries such as New Zealand and Russia. Scorpions are an essential component in traditional Chinese medicine, used to calm wind, relieve spasms, counteract toxins, disperse nodules, unblock meridians, and alleviate pain. They are applied in treating infantile convulsions, spasms, facial paralysis due to stroke, hemiplegia, tetanus, rheumatic arthralgia, migraine, sores, and scrofula.
When mentioning Shunping County in Hebei Province, most people think first of its casing industry. Yet this place, known as the "Hometown of Casings in China," was just a few years ago home to casing enterprises of varying sizes scattered across the region. In recent years, the local government has strongly supported this traditional industry, leading to the emergence of a number of large-scale casing companies with…
"Hometown of Apples in China",…
Shunping County is known as the "Peach Capital of China." It is the hometown of Emperor Yao and is located at the eastern foot of the Taihang Mountains. The county covers a total area of 708 square kilometers, with mountains and semi-mountainous regions accounting for two-thirds of the total area. While the rolling mountains have traditionally been seen as a disadvantage, they also present unique advantages: the mountainous areas feature distinctive soil types, including alternating layers of red and white soil. Additionally, the region enjoys abundant sunlight, a long frost-free period, and significant diurnal temperature variation, all of which contribute to a unique microclimate within the mountainous belt. These exceptional soil resources and special climatic conditions provide Shunping with ideal natural advantages for developing its fruit and forestry industries.
Boye Yellow Crown Pears are a specialty of Boye County in Baoding City, Hebei Province. These pears are not only large and visually appealing, but also juicy, tender, sweet, and leave no residue after eating. Shawo Village was established during the Tang Dynasty, and from its founding, it began cultivating high-quality duck pears originally bred by Wei Zheng, a famous prime minister of the Tang Dynasty who hailed from Jinzhou. Cultivation flourished during the Ming and Qing dynasties...
Sophora Flower Powder is a delightful creation made from the blossoms of the sophora tree and rice, resulting in a texture similar to rice noodles—smooth, chewy, and satisfying. Its production method shares striking similarities with that of rice noodles. As noted in the classic herbal text *Compendium of Materia Medica*, "sophora flowers are bitter and slightly cold in nature, known for cooling the blood, stopping bleeding, and clearing liver heat and fire." The fragrant blossoms emit a sweet aroma that can drift for miles when in bloom. Served in a cup, Sophora Flower Powder is best enjoyed in one refreshing gulp—cooling to the core...
Ice Blossoms are made by blending freshly squeezed fruit juice with shaved ice, available in a variety of flavors such as mango (my personal favorite), pineapple, watermelon, and mung bean. Though Ice Blossoms have long been popular across the country, only those from Boye County are considered the most authentic. Every summer, you can find these sweet, refreshing, and cooling treats on every street corner. …
Legend has it that Black Girl Dumplings were first created over a hundred years ago by a young man nicknamed "Black Girl." Made with a blend of eight traditional Chinese herbs, these dumplings are known for their delicious taste, appealing color, fragrance, and overall quality. Their unique preparation method and carefully selected ingredients set them apart. The dumplings were once highly praised by an emperor of the Qing Dynasty and have been passed down to this day. National leaders such as – and Zhu Rongji...
The toughest product in Quyang has to be jujube wine. Don’t doubt it — there’s even a poem to prove it: One or two cups won’t go to your head, three or four have you leaning on the wall, five or six and the wall moves but you don’t. In Quyang, jujube wine has nurtured generations of heroic, tough men, as can be seen in the local expressions: What’s up? Oh, nothing much at all!
Made from premium wheat flour, sesame seeds, and purified water, Quyang Sesame Cakes are crafted in traditional kiln ovens through meticulous handcrafting. Known for their “crispiness, fragrance, thinness, and crunch,” they are nutritious and suitable for all ages. The cakes are square-shaped with a golden hue, coated with sesame seeds on the front and smooth on the back. They are as thin as willow leaves and exceptionally crispy…