Men Ding Rou Bing (Gate Nail Meat Pie) or Men Ding Rou Bing is a traditional Beijing snack. It gets its name from its resemblance to the gate nails on ancient city gates. It is also said that the Gate Nail Meat Pie carries auspicious meanings. Legend has it that during the Qing Dynasty, the imperial kitchen specially made a stuffed pastry for Empress Dowager Cixi, who loved it and asked what the dish was called. The chef, on the spur of the moment,
Beijing Qingfeng Steamed Dumplings The Qingfeng Steamed Dumpling Shop was established in 1948 and originally started as an ordinary small eatery. However, because its steamed dumplings had an authentic taste, starting from 1956, it focused exclusively on steamed dumplings and officially adopted the name “Qingfeng Steamed Dumpling Shop.” To this day, these small dumplings have become a distinctive snack of Beijing, and the time-honored Qingfeng Steamed Dumpling Shop
According to historical records, over 1,000 years ago, “Yuanbao Tea” was already being sold in various countries and more than ten regions across Southeast Asia. During the Qing Dynasty, Yuanbao Tea was served as tribute to the emperor, and some of the tea trees that were once offered to the imperial court are still preserved locally. Legend has it that Yuanbao Tea was brought to Yiwu by Zhuge Liang during his southern campaign in the Three Kingdoms period...
Dongxiang Oil Tea, also known as Jar Tea, is a unique snack of the Dong people in Yuping. Its preparation process is quite complex, using ingredients such as camellia oil, tea leaves, alkaline ash cakes, fried rice, chili peppers, and various spices. It has a spicy and savory flavor, as attested by the song: “Comrade, come to Dongxiang and try the oil tea!” Since the 1980s...
Guangnan County’s bamboo tube tea, Nalang liquor, and Xi Fengdou are equally renowned both within the province and beyond. Bamboo tube tea is a traditional specialty of the Zhuang people from Diyuguo Tianyu, with a production history of over 300 years, and is one of Yunnan’s top ten premium teas. Because the tea leaves must be hand-picked by unmarried girls in the tea mountains, it is also known as “maidens’ tea.” This tea boasts rich flavor and smooth taste, remains flavorful even after multiple infusions, and leaves a refreshing aftertaste after meals, thus earning fame both within the province, across neighboring regions, and in neighboring Vietnam.
Tea thrives in subtropical and tropical regions. Maguan County spans a range of climate types including northern tropical, southern subtropical, central subtropical, and northern subtropical, making it suitable for tea cultivation. In 1981, the Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Yunnan Tea Research Institute conducted a survey of tea plant resources in Yunnan. They discovered numerous ancient tea trees in areas such as Laojun Mountain and Gulinqing, which were identified as a new variety of tea plant and officially named “Maguan Tea.”
Qiba Wuhao is a type of green tea produced in Zhenba County, Hanzhong region, Shaanxi Province. This area has a long history of tea production. According to records, tea production in Bashu began during the Qin and Han dynasties, flourished in the Tang and Song dynasties, and during 780–805 AD (the Dazhong era of the Tang Dynasty), annual tea tax revenue reached “three hundred taels of silver.” To this day, there are many large tea trees in Zhenba County, including one on Ciji Ridge.
Xishuangbanna is one of China’s oldest tea origins. In Menghai, there is an ancient tea tree over 700 years old. The six famous Pu’er tea mountains are all located within Xishuangbanna. As early as the Ming and Qing dynasties, Pu’er tea was a key commodity on China’s oldest Ancient Tea Horse Road, which transported it as far as Central and West Asia. The large-leaf tea varieties grown in Xishuangbanna are processed into black tea with bright color and rich aroma, and green tea with prominent white pekoe and clear green liquor. Famous tea varieties include Nanuo White Pekoe, Fox Aroma Tea, Cloud Sea White Pekoe, Ganglv, and Xuanyun Tea.
Baxian Yunwu Tea, originally named “Baxian Tea,” is produced in Songya Township of Baxian District, Pingli County, southern Shaanxi. Baxian Yunwu Tea is a newly developed famous tea created in the 1980s by technical personnel from the Pingli County Tea Technology Station and local tea farmers. Its development began in 1984, passed provincial evaluation in July 1986, and was rated as a high-quality product of Shaanxi Province in 1987.
Golden Dragon Tea: Grown in Dongxiang Town, this tea gets its name from the high mountain where it is produced. Due to the mountain’s elevation, frequent fog, abundant rainfall, mild climate, ample sunlight, and moderately fertile soil, the tea boasts exceptional quality. By combining traditional tea-making techniques with modern methods, the finished Golden Dragon Tea takes on a dragon-like appearance, features a greenish liquor, emits a long-lasting fragrance,
Nuwa Selenium-Rich Black Tea is a specialty of Pingli County, Ankang City, Shaanxi Province. The tea emphasizes product quality, focusing on every stage of production with strict quality control at each step. It is carefully selected based on shape, color, aroma, and taste, striving for a mellow and refined flavor that captures the unique essence of Nuwa Selenium-Rich Black Tea. Ankang City in Shaanxi Province has a long history of tea production.
Luxi City is the largest tea production base in Dehong Prefecture, with 56,952 mu of large-leaf tea plantations. Approximately 50,000 farmers and 230 enterprises are engaged in tea production, processing, and sales. The city produces 2,900 tons of refined tea annually, generating an output value of over 40 million yuan, accounting for more than 75% of the prefecture’s total tea production. Its main products include the Mengbanaxi Eco-tea…
Lancang Ancient Tea is a specialty of Lancang County, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province. It boasts a unique aroma, bright red liquor, and excellent quality. Lancang is one of the birthplaces of tea trees and the homeland of Pu'er tea, boasting a long and splendid tea culture. The region is home to the Jingmai-Mangjing ancient cultivated tea garden covering tens of thousands of acres with over 1,300 years of planting history, as well as the thousand-year-old transitional-type Da Cha (big tea tree) in Bangwei.
Steamed corn bread is made from cornmeal or mixed grain flour. It has a distinctive shape — small on top, large at the bottom, hollow in the middle, and shaped like a cone. Originally, it was the staple food of poor people in old Beijing. To make steaming easier and quicker, a hole was left at the bottom (referred to in Beijing slang as a "nest"), and because it served as a main food like mantou (steamed bun), locals called this food “wotou” (steamed corn bread).
There is a historic and well-known shop on Grain Street — the over 450-year-old Liubiju Sauce Garden. This workshop once established six strict production rules: grains must be complete, steeping must be clean, pottery must be of good quality, heat control must be precise, and water must be fragrant. Hence the name “Liubiju” (literally “Six Musts”). Later, this wine shop transitioned into
Beijing’s Poria Cake features an ultra-thin, paper-like crust that is snow-white in color, with clear patterns on the surface. The crust is extremely crisp and melts in your mouth. It gets its name from Poria, a specialty medicinal herb from Yunnan, as it closely resembles the appearance of the herb. Poria Cake is unique among pastries for being primarily made around its filling. It is a long-time best-selling specialty product in Beijing. (Beijing)…
History: According to historical records, jade tools existed as far back as the late Neolithic Age, and jade carving evolved from these utilitarian objects. By the Shang Dynasty, large quantities of ritual implements and various ornaments were already being produced. By the Yuan Dynasty (1280–1368 AD), distinct southern and northern jade carving styles had emerged in China — Southern jade work centered around Suzhou and Yangzhou, while Northern jade work was based in Beijing. During the Qing Dynasty, artisans from the south continuously came to Beijing to share their skills, and some master craftsmen settled there. As a result, Beijing jade carving incorporated the strengths of both regional styles, developing its unique characteristics. In the 1940s, four exceptionally talented artists rose to prominence in Beijing’s jade carving industry: Pan Bingheng, Liu Deying, He Rong, and Wang Shusen. These four masters not only excelled in traditional jade carving techniques but also possessed their own distinctive skills. Their works broke conventional molds, often winning acclaim for their innovation and ingenuity. As a result, they were famously known within the industry as the “Four Eccentrics.”
Beijing patchwork embroidery is a renowned handicraft from Beijing. It is commonly used for curtains, tablecloths, bed sheets, napkins, piano covers, and more. The patterns are simple, the colors are subtle and elegant, and the overall look is delicate and clean, making it a major export product. Inner-painted snuff bottles are also a specialty craft of Beijing. These are created using bamboo sticks as fine as needles instead of brushes to paint inside frosted snuff bottles, showcasing exceptional craftsmanship.
The rose, also known as the four-season rose or China rose, belongs to the Rosaceae family and is a deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub. It is native to regions such as Hubei and Hunan in China, with large-scale cultivation beginning in the Han Dynasty. In 1789, Chinese roses were introduced to Europe via the Bay of Bengal. It is the city flower of Beijing. The stem has thorns or is nearly thornless, with pinnate compound leaves. Nine flowers often bloom together, in colors including red, pink, …
Salted duck eggs have a bluish-green shell with a smooth, round appearance, also known as "green fruit." With a long history in China, they are beloved by the general public and highly favored in the market. The product is characterized by a red yolk and is rich in nutrition. It contains fats, proteins, and various amino acids essential to the human body, as well as calcium,...