Huangshan Food Tour

Huangshan (ancient Huizhou) is the birthplace of Huizhou cuisine. After over a thousand years of development, Huizhou cuisine has formed unique cooking techniques and food culture. Upon arriving in Huangshan, check in at your hotel, then proceed to Tunxi Old Street.

Upon arriving at Tunxi Old Street, you will first be attracted by the Hui-style architecture featuring grey bricks, black tiles and scattered horse-head walls. The street is lined with a wide variety of local Huizhou snacks. You may start by tasting Huangshan Shaobing (baked sesame cakes). These crab shell-shaped, crispy snacks are usually filled with dried mustard greens and local pork, and were traditional dry food for Huizhou merchants on long journeys in ancient times.

Huangshan Shaobing

Your Journey’s Rewards:

Admire the ancient Hui-style architecture on Tunxi Old Street and taste authentic Huizhou snacks.

Educational Focus:

Why are fermentation and baking commonly used for Huizhou snacks such as stinky tofu and sesame cakes?

Takeaway:

Huizhou is located in mountainous areas with a humid and rainy climate and high annual average humidity, so food spoils easily. Fermentation and baking not only extend the shelf life of food but also create distinctive flavors, representing the local people’s wise choice for preserving ingredients without modern refrigeration.

Thought Challenge:

What is the relationship between Huizhou snacks and Huizhou merchant culture?

In the morning, head to Hongcun Village and take a stroll through this "village in a Chinese painting." Admire the Hui-style architecture and water systems such as South Lake, Moon Pond, and the "ox intestine" water channels. Experience the tranquility and poetic beauty of this ancient village, and visit iconic landmarks like Chengzhi Hall and Wang's Ancestral Hall.

Hongcun Village

At noon, experience cooking Huizhou dishes with local villagers at Zhulan Bar. Under the guidance of the villagers, you will personally participate in making classic Huizhou dishes, such as stinky mandarin fish, hairy tofu, braised pork with dried bamboo shoots, and learn about the characteristics of Huizhou cuisine: "emphasis on oil, rich color, and exquisite fire control". For lunch, taste the food you have made and experience the charm of Huizhou food culture.

Taste Huizhou Cuisine

In the afternoon, learn to make Shitao (pounded rice cake). Among traditional Huizhou pastries, Shitao is a representative specialty. Under the demonstration of the master, knead and shape the dough by hand, experience the traditional handicraft skills, and make sweet and delicious Shitao. Taste the pastries you have made and enjoy the unique flavor of traditional Huizhou pastries.

Your Journey’s Rewards:

Visit Hongcun Village and appreciate the scenery of Hui-style villages. Experience making Huizhou dishes firsthand and learn authentic cooking techniques through hands-on practice. Take part in making Huizhou pastries to gain a deeper understanding of the inheritance of folk food customs and handmade food culture in Huizhou.

Educational Focus:

As one of China’s eight great cuisines, what are the core characteristics of Huizhou cuisine?

Takeaway:

Representative dishes of Huizhou cuisine include stinky mandarin fish, Huizhou hairy tofu, Huizhou Eight Bowls, etc. Locals use local ingredients and cook by braising, stewing, steaming, and roasting, supplemented by frying and pan-frying. Huizhou cuisine is mainly salty and fresh, highlighting the original taste. Some dishes such as stinky mandarin fish and hairy tofu feature distinctive fermented flavors.

Thought Challenge:

Many people find it hard to accept Huizhou dishes with unique fermented tastes like stinky mandarin fish and hairy tofu. How do you think these Huizhou dishes can be innovated to suit mainstream tastes?

Stinky Mandarin Fish

Huizhou Hairy Tofu

In the morning, head to the Yellow Mountains (Huangshan Scenic Area) and take the cable car to the mountain top, where you can overlook the clustered peaks of the Yellow Mountains along the route. Weather permitting, you will see the Yellow Mountains enveloped in mist and clouds. Upon reaching the summit, follow the mountain-top trails to visit key attractions including Shixin Peak, Beihai Scenic Area and Monkey Watching the Sea, while enjoying the Yellow Mountains’ classic scenery of exotic pines, unique rocks and the sea of clouds. After the tour, take the Yungu Cable car down the mountain and overlook the spectacular landscape of the Yellow Mountains once more.

Breathtaking the Yellow Mountains: Sea of clouds meets majestic peaks

Your Journey’s Rewards:

Admire the magnificent scenery of the Yellow Mountains, where uniquely shaped pines, grotesque rocks and the sea of clouds blend perfectly.

Educational Focus:

What food culture has the climate of Huangshan region shaped?

Takeaway:

Huangshan enjoys abundant rainfall and frequent mist and clouds, which nurture precious mountain delicacies such as bamboo shoots, stone ear fungi and bamboo fungus. The people of Huizhou are skilled at making use of natural ingredients and turning them into delicious dishes through traditional techniques like pickling and fermentation. This embodies the survival wisdom of Huizhou people: “living off the mountains”.

Thought Challenge:

How can Huizhou cuisine be promoted to help more people learn about it?

After breakfast, proceed to Tangmo Ancient Village. Known as “The Best Village of Waterfront Gardens in China”, this thousand-year-old village showcases the elegance of Huizhou architecture through its flagstone paths, white walls, black tiles, and the Tangan Garden. Lunch is served at a traditional Huizhou restaurant inside the ancient village, where you will taste authentic Huizhou Eight Great Bowls — a traditional feast for guests in Huizhou, consisting of eight hot dishes including braised local pork, braised fish chunks, fried meatballs, and Huizhou rice paste, each presenting genuine local flavors.

In the afternoon, visit the Huizhou Pastry Museum, the first themed museum in China dedicated to Huizhou pastry culture. Here you will learn about the varieties, history, and production techniques of Huizhou pastries. At the museum’s hands-on workshop, you will make Huangshan sesame cakes under the guidance of a master, experiencing the joy of traditional craftsmanship from kneading dough, forming wrappers, and filling to baking.

Finally, visit the China Huizhou Cuisine Museum in Huangshan, a food culture museum themed on Huizhou cuisine. By viewing the exhibits, you will gain in-depth knowledge of the history, ingredient characteristics, cooking skills, and connections to Huizhou merchant culture of Huizhou cuisine.

Your Journey’s Rewards:

Taste authentic Huizhou Eight Great Bowls in Tangmo Ancient Village and experience the essence of Huizhou cuisine through genuine flavors. Visit the Huizhou Pastry Museum to learn about the history and development of Huizhou pastries and master basic making skills. Explore the Huizhou Cuisine Museum to deepen your understanding of Huizhou food culture, classic dishes, and cooking techniques.

Educational Focus:

Why is Hui Mo Su (Huizhou Ink Cake) named as such?

Takeaway:

Hui Mo Su is named for its dark, glossy appearance resembling Hui ink, a famous Huizhou writing product. Made from black sesame, flour, and sugar, it combines the culture of Huizhou’s Four Treasures of the Study with food culture, making it widely popular.

Hui Mo Su (Huizhou Ink Cake)

Thought Challenge:

How are the making techniques of Huizhou pastries connected to the local customs and lifestyle of Huizhou?

After breakfast, check out from the hotel. You will be escorted to the airport or station by your driver and guide for your return journey, marking the end of the trip.