Fu'an: This Ancient Fujian Town Rivals Guangzhou in Food, Yet Has Fewer Than Half of Xiamen's Tourists
When traveling, besides enjoying the scenery, food is an indispensable part.
Speaking of Chinese cuisine, it seems like three days and nights wouldn’t be enough to cover it all.
Every city has its own unique delicacies, and for food lovers, being able to sample them all would be sheer bliss.
If you want to experience beautiful landscapes while indulging in culinary delights,
many people might first think of food cities like Xi’an, Chengdu, or Changsha.
As for cities in Fujian, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Fuzhou, Zhangzhou… just name one, and it’s enough to make mouths water and tempt you to stay for days just for the food.
Recently, a gourmet recommended to Qilv another overlooked treasure in Fujian.
This small city in eastern Fujian has an exceptionally beautiful name, but few know of it.
It’s not as famous as Xiamen or Fuzhou, its food isn’t as renowned as Quanzhou or Zhangzhou, and it lacks world-famous attractions—perhaps it’s never been on your travel list, with even online guides being scarce.
But here, you’ll find landscapes of mountains, sea, lakes, and villages!
This small eastern Fujian city also exudes an old-world, leisurely charm, hiding hundreds of snacks in its alleys—any one of them could win over your stomach.
The drool-inducing show *Breakfast in China* once focused its lens here.
Fujian’s seasoned gourmet Ma Yu once praised it as, “The only city in Fujian I’ve visited three times just for the food—and I’ll keep coming back.”
This city is none other than—
Fu’an, Fujian: Arrive in Fu’an, and you’ll find fortune and well-being.
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Fu’an, “bestowing five blessings to bring peace to a county,” is a city whose name alone brings a sense of comfort.
If you’re a foodie, you must visit Fu’an.
The culinary offerings here are endless: for breakfast alone, there are pan-fried buns + sweet fermented rice with poached eggs, mixed noodles + soup dumplings, large intestine rice noodles, rice vermicelli, and countless other varieties—not to mention the endless snacks, nostalgic ice cafés, and seafood so fresh it’ll blow your mind.
It’s no exaggeration to say that even eating for 12 hours a day in Fu’an feels insufficient.
If you’re tired of monotonous urban scenery and crave a breath of rural air, then Fu’an is also the place for you.
The ancient villages here are mostly simple and unadorned, with little commercial atmosphere, nestled between mountains and rivers, offering endless pastoral scenery.
If you feel life is not worth it, if you crave the warmth of living, then you must come to Fu'an.
Here, there are no hurried steps, only irresistibly delicious food and a leisurely life full of human kindness. Immersed in it, you will reignite your passion for life.
In short, if you have a few days off, dislike noise, and just want to find a cozy place to wander and eat, then why not come to Fu'an?
1. An Overlooked Culinary Treasure City
Five meals a day—savoring food, sighing over life
Start the day with a steaming, hearty breakfast
As the saying goes, "Breakfast should be filling, but even more so, delicious." The people of Fu'an seem to understand this well.
Pan-fried buns + sweet fermented rice with poached eggs / Pork lung soup
Pan-fried buns are arguably the star of Fu'an's breakfast scene. Those who have watched "Breakfast in China" might have been drooling over them.
The buns are golden and crispy on both sides, with thin skin and generous filling, bursting with juice—savory, fragrant, and crispy, without being too greasy.
△ Fillings vary by shop. Common ones include: pork leg with shredded radish, dried bamboo shoots with meat, and cabbage with minced meat...
Freshly cooked pan-fried buns paired with sweet fermented rice and poached eggs (glutinous rice wine with eggs) make the most authentic Fu'an breakfast.
Pork lung soup is another companion to the pan-fried buns. After eating a bun, a sip of the clear, sweet, and soothing soup balances the heat of the buns, making it even more delightful.
Nanhu Nendi Pan-Fried Bun Shop (120D, 25 Jiefang Road, Fu'an City)
24-Meter Road Pan-Fried Buns (Saiqi Market)
Mixed noodles are mostly classic scallion oil noodles, oily and savory, while small intestine soup has a herbal flavor and is very nourishing.
In the early morning, follow the locals through the streets and alleys into a breakfast shop.
Order a bowl of steaming mixed noodles and a bowl of small intestine soup according to your preference, and start the day in the most comfortable way.
Station Ah Fat Noodle House (103D, 81 Xinhua South Road, opposite Fu'an Station)
Tianheng Small Intestine Noodle Restaurant (next to Tianheng International, Xinhua Middle Road, Fu'an)
A specialty breakfast in Fu'an, it's hard to find an authentic version outside the city.
The rice noodles in Fenkou are cooked until very soft, with a savory and fragrant broth. When eating, take a bite of noodles, a sip of soup, some pickled vegetables, and the chewy, tender large intestine—everything is just perfect, so satisfying.
Yangtou Fenkou Shop (near the intersection of Hexi Road and Xingye North Road, Fu'an City)
After breakfast, head to Muyang Ancient Town to explore Shima Dou and Baisui Street, and admire the ancient houses.
However, the most appealing part here is the hidden street food tucked away in the alleys.
Muyang Bianrou has a history of nearly a hundred years.
It resembles wontons but isn't served in soup; instead, it's tossed with a unique minced meat topping.
The wrappers are thin, the color vibrant, and the filling plump. One bite delivers fragrant seasoning and juicy Bianrou—so delicious you'll want to lick your fingers.
A local saying goes, "Bianrou is so tasty you gulp it down; it melts in your throat before reaching Muyang. Have a bowl on Baisui Street, and your belly will rumble for three days."
Xilin Bianrou (No. 66, Baisui Street, Muyang Town, Fu'an City)
Laoxiangji Authentic Bianrou Mixed Noodles (No. 26, Baisui Street, Muyang Town, Fu'an City)
Authentic Muyang Bianrou Shop (No. 43, Hexiang Road, Yangtou, Fu'an City)
Thread noodles are another specialty of Muyang, with those from Suti Village being the most famous.
Cooked thread noodles are snow-white in color, with a tender, smooth, and fragrant texture—one bowl is enough to satisfy you.
The key to making good thread noodles lies in "sun-drying." If you visit Suti Village, you might even witness locals drying the noodles.
Hao Muyang Thread Noodles (Shima Dou, Muyang Town, Fu'an City)
Exploring hidden snack shops in the alleys
If you ask a Fu'an local about fun places in the city, you’ll likely hear, "There’s nothing fun." But if you ask about food, they could talk for an entire day just about the street snacks.
There are simply too many delicious snacks here:
Jiguang Cake, Dad's Bun, Kyoto Almond Tofu,
Muyang Roast Meat, Stir-Fried Hu Diao, Sticky Rice Stuffed in Large Intestine,
Mud Snail Jelly, Seven-Layer Cake, Sugar Cake, Huliu,
Saiqi Chenji Flower Dumplings, Beef Offal Soup,
Small Intestine Stuffed with Eggs, Reed Leaf Dumplings...
While Pan-Fried Buns, Mixed Noodles, Mixed Rice Noodles,
Steamed Buns, Steamed Rice Noodles, Large Intestine Rice Noodle Rolls, Small Intestine Soup,
Enamel Pot Stews, Flat Meat, Black Glutinous Rice...
Can be either a main meal or an afternoon snack.
If you visit Fu'an in summer, you can also go to the "original" ice parlors, which offer milk, cakes, and various sweet soups like white beans and barley.
In Fu'an, food shops with signs like "XX Sugar Cake Shop" are everywhere. The most distinctive is Jiguang Cake, originally military rations for Qi Jiguang's anti-pirate campaigns.
Jiguang Cake has a shiny surface, crispy bottom, and soft center. It's not just a snack—plain Jiguang Cake can be sliced and stuffed with braised pork or bean sprouts to become "Fu'an's burger," or even stir-fried and served as a dish.
Stuffing fried oysters into Jiguang Cake creates Fu'an's favorite snack—Dad's Bun. Crispy and fragrant, it's so delicious it makes your teeth tingle.
A summer-cooling delicacy, the crystal-clear almond jelly looks refreshing and tastes even cooler.
Zhongxing Street: Kyoto Almond Tofu Shop, Laobiao Pastries and Desserts, Large Intestine Rice Noodle Rolls, Sugar-Coated Fried Dough Twists, Sesame Balls and Oyster Buns, Mixed Noodles, Jiguang Cake with Dried Tofu... all can be found here.
Yangtou Cold Drink Shop (No. 10, Yangtou West Road, Fu'an City, Ningde)
Taste Fu'an's "Mountain Delicacies and Seafood"
For locals, grabbing a fried dough stick and some braised dishes on the way home to pair with porridge makes a typical dinner.
But for visitors, a trip to Fu'an isn't complete without trying Fu'an cuisine.
The unique geographical location gives Fu'an cuisine its distinctive character, featuring both river delicacies and seafood.
For first-time visitors to Fu'an, the local specialties like earthworm jelly, clam tofu, and drunken spare ribs are must-tries.
For river delicacies, we recommend fried river crabs and pepper-salt stream fish.
△Stir-fried stream fish©Source: Haomuyang
As for seafood, the options are plentiful: drunken shrimp, drunken crab, yellow plum fish, Xiabai stone crab, small pomfret, marinated crab, raw marinated dishes, stir-fried squid lips with crab...
Stream & Seafood Restaurant (200m northeast of the intersection of Fenghu Line and National Highway 104)
Riverside Restaurant (Building F, No. 15-16, Liannan Road, Gantang Town, Fu'an City)
Jinma Small Hotel (No. 55, Hedong East Road, Chengnan Street, Fu'an City)
Ginseng-Stewed Duck Shop (No. 151, Zhongshan West Road, Saiqi Town, Fu'an City)
Soothe weary bodies and minds with an array of delicious treats.
Like many cities in Fujian, Fu'an streets come alive as night falls.
Vendors of all sizes set up their stalls one after another, with cart lights illuminating the locals' "midnight diner."
At Fu'an's late-night eateries, dishes like mixed noodles, soup dumplings, fried noodles, small intestine soup, rice noodles, and noodle paste make a "comeback" alongside daytime offerings.
Nighttime specialties such as whelks, beef balls, and steamed dumplings in willow baskets also make their appearance; of course, a variety of barbecues are indispensable.
On a summer night, gather a few friends for a plate of whelks paired with beer—pure bliss.
Unlike Chaozhou beef balls, Fu'an's version resembles irregularly shaped meat slices. Served in mildly spicy broth with vinegar for a tangy kick, their springy texture makes them irresistible.
Hand-Shredded Beef Balls (Shop 6, 1st Floor, Building 93, South Hubin Road, Chengnan, Fu'an)
Though stewed soups are common across Fujian, each region has its variations. Fu'an's herbal stews, fragrant with a bitter-sweet aftertaste, offer comfort after a long day.
If snacks aren't filling enough, head to a food stall, pair them with a few drinks, and savor the night's charm.
2. Hidden Rural Beauties
Explore ancient villages and embrace tranquility far from the hustle and bustle.
Food is the soul of a city; only travel destinations with delicious cuisine can tempt us to visit again and again.
The ancient villages here are not as famous as those in Jiangnan nor as distinctive as those in Yunnan and Guizhou, but they retain an uncommercialized, rustic, and leisurely charm, preserving their original rural flavor.
This is the hometown of Xue Lingzhi, the first imperial scholar of Fujian, and a renowned "scholar village" that once witnessed the miracle of five scholars from the Chen Xiong family across three generations.
Today, Lian Village still lies low in the landscapes of eastern Fujian, free from commercialization.
The mottled official road, towering ancient city walls, majestic ancestral halls, and cobblestone paths exude an air of antiquity and tranquility. Strolling here feels like stepping back in time.
Location: West bank of the middle reaches of Muyang River, Xitan Town, Fu'an City, Ningde, Fujian Province.
Tantou Town in Fu'an is known as the "Hometown of Furong Plums." Every spring, Tangxi Village is adorned with blooming plum blossoms, covering the mountains like snow—a breathtaking sight.
Location: Tangxi Village, Tantou Town, Fu'an City.
"Below Baiyun Mountain lies Tanyang Village, rightly praised as 'Little Wuyi.'"
This is the home of China's "Tanyang Gongfu" tea. The village is embraced by clear streams, fragrant osmanthus trees, lush pines across the river, and verdant tea plantations.
Here, you can not only admire beautiful covered bridges but also try your hand at tea-making.
Location: Western Shekou Town, eastern foothills of Baiyun Mountain, Fu'an City.
A Millennium-Old Village: From Bustle to Serenity
This ancient village, with a history of over a thousand years, was once a bustling merchant hub called "Matou Market." Now, its old streets along the ancient road lie in ruins, yet it exudes a unique tranquility.
There is also a millennium-old temple, Guiling Temple, built in the Tang Dynasty. Zhu Xi, a Southern Song Neo-Confucian scholar, once lectured here. Though small, the temple is serene and untouched by worldly noise.
Fu'an is such a delightful and laid-back food haven. Why not take a weekend or a few days off to explore its flavors and savor life here?
The best way to experience it is to slow down, indulge in irresistible delicacies, and immerse yourself in the "Fu'an" lifestyle, embracing the vibrant local street life.
Location: Fu'an City, Ningde, Fujian Province.
High-speed rail: Fu'an Station, 55 minutes from Fuzhou, 2.5 hours from Xiamen.
Self-drive: 1 hour from Ningde (city center), 2 hours from Fuzhou, 5 hours from Xiamen.
D3 Xiapu - Zherong - Fu'an
It's probably about encountering delicious food and beautiful scenery.