#184 Food Travelling in China 美食旅游

Hello everyone! Welcome back to MaoMi Chinese!

Do you enjoy travelling? What makes you want to visit a place? Some people say it’s because of a place’s history, others say it’s for the scenery. If you ask a Chinese person, “Why do you want to travel there?” many people might answer, “For the food!” 美食 (měi shí) means delicious, flavourful food. In China, how many people travel for the food? What different cuisines are there across China? And if you travel to China, what food can you enjoy? Let’s dive into that today!

In 2023, a survey in China showed that 92% of participants would plan a “food guide” before travelling. Planning a “guide” means gathering lots of information beforehand to make the trip more enjoyable. A food guide involves researching what local food to try and which restaurants to visit. 93% of people said that the main reason they choose a travel destination is for the food. In Chinese, there’s a saying, “民以食为天,” which means that for people, food is as essential as the sky. It seems Chinese people really do love travelling for the food!

So, what kind of food has been inspiring travel recently? In 2023, a small city in Shandong province called Zibo became very popular – all because of its barbecue. Zibo’s barbecue is both affordable and delicious. In many places, barbecue is served ready to eat, but in Zibo, you have a charcoal grill on your table, so after the food is cooked, you and your family or friends can continue grilling right at the table. People love the experience of chatting and grilling with loved ones – they find it fantastic.

In 2024, another small town, Tianshui in Gansu province, also gained popularity because of its málàtàng. Málàtàng is a Chinese dish where food is cooked in a fragrant, spicy broth and served in a bowl. Although you can find málàtàng in many parts of China, a video of someone enjoying it in Tianshui went viral on social media because they thought it was unique and delicious. Since then, more and more people have been flocking to Tianshui to try it – some even took a ten-hour train ride just to enjoy Tianshui málàtàng!

China is vast, and every region has its own unique cuisine. Besides these examples, people travel to Yunnan for guoqiao mixian (crossing-the-bridge rice noodles), to Guizhou for suantang huoguo (sour soup hotpot), to Inner Mongolia for hand-held mutton, and to Chaoshan in Guangdong for beef hotpot – the list goes on and on. With food being so important, it’s clear that food is a major reason why Chinese people travel. What famous food is there where you live? And what inspires you to travel? Feel free to leave us a comment and share your thoughts!