Must-Visit Destinations in China Go Far Beyond Beijing and Shanghai

The trendiest travel theme for today's youth:

"Why are you young people so obsessed with food these days?" my mom exclaimed when she heard my travel plan for Quanzhou during the National Day holiday: breakfast with vermicelli soup, lunch with ginger duck, and dinner at a seafood street stall.

In the travel mindset of our parents' generation, the purpose of traveling was to see more scenery and check off more attractions—what to eat wasn’t a priority. But for today’s youth, while scenic spots are beautiful, the authentic street food hidden in alleys is what truly wins hearts.

Braised beef with curry, a delicious snack unique to Quanzhou.

Moreover, seeking out good food isn’t just about cravings. China’s vast landscape has given rise to diverse cultures, each nurturing its own culinary traditions. The dining table is a grand stage for local produce, and savoring regional dishes is also a way to taste the local landscape and experience another way of life.

Let’s look southeast to Ningbo, Zhejiang. Ningbo is coastal, with hundreds of islands, making freshness its culinary theme. Just for blue crabs alone, there are countless preparations: raw marinated, stir-fried with ginger and scallions, steamed, and more. Further north, the black soil of Northeast China is one of the country’s main sugar beet producers, and the cold climate demands calorie-rich foods—hence, sweetness becomes a key flavor profile. Dishes like snow-coated red bean paste, sweet and sour pork, and candied sweet potatoes reveal the tender side of Northeasterners’ tough exterior...

Steamed egg with blue crab—in Ningbo, there are a hundred ways to prepare blue crabs.

People used to say, "Our country is so vast, I want to see it all." This National Day, let’s start with a culinary journey: our country is so vast, let’s eat our way through it!

Yongshang Mingzao (Huancheng West Road), Ninghai Seafood Restaurant (Tianyi Pavilion Wangjing Branch), Ala Mingzao · The Taste of Ningbo Locals (Moon Lake Branch), Amao Restaurant (Cultural Plaza Headquarters), Xiaoyuchang Private Kitchen · Ningbo Fisherman’s Cuisine

If you want to indulge in seafood this National Day, I recommend Ningbo. From a marine perspective, Ningbo enjoys a unique geographical advantage—it’s not only coastal but also adjacent to China’s largest fishing ground, the Zhoushan Fishing Ground. The seafood resources here are incredibly abundant, including blue crabs, yellow croakers, ribbonfish, and mussels. It’s no exaggeration to say Ningbo seafood is as fresh as it gets.

Take ribbonfish, for example. The ribbonfish in Zhejiang are a hundred times fresher than those in inland areas. The reason is simple: ribbonfish are deep-sea fish that die quickly after being caught and must be frozen for storage and transport. But Ningbo’s proximity to the sea allows people to enjoy ribbonfish that are freshly caught, unfrozen, with skin still shimmering silver—unbelievably delicious.

Most ribbonfish in Ningbo are unfrozen and exceptionally fresh.

Ningbo cuisine’s appeal goes beyond freshness. Also known as Yongbang cuisine, it’s famous for blending savory and salty flavors and its bold innovation—the hundred ways to prepare blue crabs are a prime example. For instance, Ningbo’s local rice cakes are a specialty, and their soft, sticky texture makes them perfect for stir-frying with crab, absorbing all the umami flavors.

But the most iconic local dish is the "drunken crab," made every autumn when blue crabs flood the market. Ningbo locals often wake early to buy fresh female crabs for this dish, also called "Eighteen Cuts." The crab is marinated raw with Shaoxing wine, ginger, and other seasonings, then chopped into 18 pieces. The best versions have each piece brimming with red roe. The crabmeat, mixed with roe, slides off effortlessly, smooth as ice cream, carrying the ocean’s essence—sweet, savory, and utterly delightful. After feasting, gazing at the distant islands, where emerald-green land meets clear blue waters, you’ll feel completely healed by the sea.

Ningbo’s "Eighteen Cuts" drunken crab—the best pieces are those packed with red roe.

Vinegar-marinated pork, vermicelli soup, ginger duck...

Quanzhou’s Minnan snacks make the world "jealous."

Puxian Courtyard (Old West Street Branch), Feida Congee Hot Pot (Jinjiang Headquarters), Song Xiaojin · Quanzhou Cuisine (Nanyi Plaza Branch), Xiaoyou Vermicelli Soup, Shijinji Family Feast · Minnan Cuisine (Wudian City Branch)

Another coastal city, Quanzhou’s flavors differ from Ningbo’s. Located on the southeastern coast, Quanzhou is the birthplace of Minnan culture and the starting point of the ancient Maritime Silk Road. In this historic eastern port, you’ll find both coastal freshness and the imaginative fusion of global cuisines.

Almost every bite in Quanzhou carries the taste of the southeastern coast. For example, some meat zongzi are stuffed generously with scallops and abalone. Runbing (spring rolls) are packed with vegetables, while the seaweed and shrimp inside are refreshingly savory. And don’t miss the must-try salted radish rice, where red peanuts add richness, and tiny seafood and seaweed flakes bring umami.

Every snack is a fusion of global flavors. Quanzhou beef ribs are seasoned with exotic curry; the peanut sauce for the street-side "jiujiu snails" was brought back by brave Fujianese sailors after their overseas voyages; even the duck in ginger duck must be the Muscovy duck, which originated in tropical Central and South America before crossing oceans on cargo ships to take root in Fujian.

Quanzhou braised beef ribs blend Southeast Asian influences.

Among these delicacies, the most outstanding are the fried vinegar pork and thread-like noodle soup. True to its name, the noodle soup features strands as fine as silk that melt in the mouth, with pork bone broth as the base and seafood as toppings—leaving only one word in your mind after eating: "fresh." This noodle soup is a staple for Quanzhou locals, enjoyed for breakfast and late-night snacks. The highlight of Fujianese cuisine is the vinegar pork, marinated with Yongcheng aged vinegar from Quanzhou, giving the fried meat a sweet-and-sour tang that cuts through the richness. It can be eaten alone, but the ultimate pairing is dipping freshly fried vinegar pork into a steaming bowl of thread-like noodle soup—an explosion of umami.

The combination of vinegar pork and thread-like noodle soup is simply perfect.

Youji Restaurant (Jinyu Street Branch), Shui Huo Zuoyong (Clay Pot Special, Foshan Poly Mall Branch), Steamed Eel Rice Private Kitchen (Junfeng Building Branch), Nanji Porridge & Late-Night Eatery (Lianhua Branch), Pig Kidney Family (Authentic Foshan Flavors, Chancheng Branch)

Also in the south, though not coastal, Foshan boasts equally remarkable flavors. Located in central Guangdong, facing Guangzhou across the river, Foshan is renowned as the "hometown of martial arts" and the cradle of Southern Chinese martial arts. But for foodies, it’s a hidden culinary gem. While most associate Guangdong cuisine with Guangzhou and Shunde, Foshan’s dishes belong to the same Cantonese tradition. Beyond Shunde’s spotlight, Foshan’s food scene holds its own.

Foshan’s old town has a long history, and due to its slower development pace, it retains not only pristine Lingnan villages and garden residences but also decades- or even centuries-old eateries. Beef offal, congee, dim sum, roast goose—classic Cantonese dishes are all here. With fewer tourists than Guangzhou or Shunde, prices are more affordable, and the experience is more relaxed.

Foshan offers affordable yet authentic Cantonese dim sum.

Foshan’s culinary charm also lies in its refinement. Take its signature bitter melon banquet, featuring over 100 dishes: bitter melon sashimi, bitter melon pancakes, stuffed bitter melon, bitter melon and soybean soup... For these flavors, locals willingly drive over an hour to rural Foshan. The star dish is iced bitter melon, a Foshan innovation—chilled, bittersweet, embodying both Cantonese love for freshness and the philosophy of "bitterness yielding sweetness."

Chunfahe Restaurant, Yuanshengju (Ecological Avenue Branch), Zhenbutong Hotel, Majia Home Kitchen (South Street Smoked Deli Branch), Pingxiang Chef (West Lake Road Branch), Yanbian Jinli Skewers (Anda Street Branch)

The stereotype of "southern sweet, northern salty" cuisine doesn’t hold for Northeasterners. In 1906, sugar beets—cold-resistant sugar crops—were introduced to China, leading to the establishment of Heilongjiang’s Acheng Sugar Factory, the country’s first industrialized beet sugar plant, and kickstarting the Northeast’s "sweet life."

Northeasterners love sweetness, even in hearty dishes like sweet-and-sour pork. At first glance, this dish is undeniably robust: golden, crispy pork loin piled high on a large plate like a mountain, earning its "hearty" reputation. But one bite reveals its sweetness! Whether it’s Harbin’s traditional sugar-vinegar version or Liaoning’s tomato-sauce twist, it’s a tender contrast to its bold appearance.

Sweet-and-sour pork—a hearty dish with a tender soul.

In Changchun, snowflake red bean paste takes sweetness and softness to the next level. This dessert, also called snowflake bean paste, requires whipping egg whites by hand, wrapping them around red bean paste, frying, and dusting with powdered sugar. The first bite feels like eating a cloud, followed by the melt-in-your-mouth bean paste—perfect for Northeast China’s crisp autumn weather, leaving you utterly relaxed.

Sanbuti Old Hot Pot (Authentic Chongqing Style), Shancheng Fanju (Nanjing Wanda Branch), Badhot Chongqing Land派 Hot Pot (Nanshan Flagship), Zhuguangyu Hot Pot (Daping Branch), Yuwei Huangjie Hot Pot (Huangni Village Branch)

For spice lovers, Chongqing is the place. This is a city steeped in麻辣 (málà—numbing heat). Even the air carries the aroma of hot pot. Though Chongqing’s chili-eating history spans just over a century, the fiery flavor matches the locals’ bold temperament perfectly.

Since ancient times, Chongqing’s location by the Jialing River made it a transport hub, fostering a rugged, communal culture and unique dishes: "jianghu cuisine" (江湖菜). Hard to define, these dishes hide in every corner—spring chicken at Nanshan’s foothills, spicy chicken on Gele Mountain’s slopes, Laifeng fish by Bishan’s Binan River... Their unifying trait is boldness, with Chongqing hot pot reigning supreme.

Spicy chicken—a quintessential jianghu dish.

Chongqing hot pot is as unapologetic as its locals: blunt and blazing. Beef tallow broth is its signature, served in a nine-grid pot over a wood-fired table. Each grid cooks different ingredients: briskly boiled tripe in the center’s high heat, slow-simmered brain in the milder edges. Crispy delights like pork throat, duck intestine, and preserved vegetables are local favorites—all churning in the pot, wild and lively, much like Chongqing’s dockside spirit.

Shaode·Zhiwei Catering Brands, Liangjiang Niu Lao Beef Eight Treasures (Dongjiang Branch), Agan Restaurant (Yiren Road Branch), Tonglai Rice Noodles (Tongquan Alley Branch), Xingguoji Oil Tea (Wumei Road Branch)

Some love sweet, some love spicy, and some even love stinky.

Guilin's landscape is the finest under heaven, and within this finest landscape grow countless plants and animals, providing fresh ingredients for Guilin cuisine. Yangshuo beer fish, Gongcheng oil tea, duck stewed with ginkgo nuts, Quanzhou vinegar-blood duck, Lipu taro pork belly, and Guilin river snails—all are exquisite. But the most uniquely charismatic among them is sour bamboo shoots.

Guangxi delicacy: river snail and sour bamboo shoot duck feet hotpot.

Photo / Tuchong Creative; Photography / Miss Watermelon

Guilin boasts numerous bamboo forests. Bamboo is not only an essential part of Guilin's landscape but also a key ingredient in its culinary culture. Fermented and pickled bamboo shoots become sour bamboo shoots, renowned for their distinctive "sour and stinky" aroma and crisp, juicy texture, attracting countless food enthusiasts.

In Guilin, many households pickle their own sour bamboo shoots. Fresh bamboo shoots are sliced into strips and fermented in aged, uniquely seasoned brine. These can be stir-fried or used in noodle soups. In the renowned universe of Guilin rice noodles, overshadowed by its fame, lies a bowl of sour and spicy boiled noodles adored by locals. Starring sour bamboo shoots, it satisfies the craving for "sourness." The resulting noodles are tangy yet fresh, with a hint of pungency, making them utterly addictive.

Photography / Onisensei

Different regions, cultures, and tastes converge to form the rich flavors of China. The rare National Day holiday is a perfect opportunity to indulge in food and explore regional delicacies across the country. Sampling iconic dishes not only satisfies the palate but also deepens understanding of each city's culture and history.

Eating can also be a travel theme.

To check out must-try Chinese delicacies, refer to the Dianping Must-Eat List—a guide tailored to Chinese tastes, featuring affordable and highly-rated restaurants chosen by 700 million people. This National Day, let’s feast on the flavors of China!

⬆️Click the image to view the Dianping Must-Eat List⬆️

Image Editor | TAO Wu Xuewen