Stuffed Rice Cakes, Tofu in Tea... How Un-Jiangnan Can This Little County's Cuisine Get?

The Jiangnan water towns hide countless treasure-like small counties. Among them, there is one that not only embodies the rich characteristics of Jiangnan but also stands out as exceptionally unique—

Deqing, a special node located between the "two paradises" of Suzhou and Hangzhou, on the transitional belt from the Hangjiahu alluvial plain to the Moganshan Mountains.

Fig. 1 Photo/Weicun Yunju; Fig. 2 & 3 Photo/Uncle Fox's Travelogue

It boasts a "three-tiered" landscape of water towns, hills, and mountains, making it a miniature version of China!

Covering an area of 936 square kilometers, it happens to be roughly one ten-thousandth of the country's total land area!

The crisscrossing patterns of duck noodle soup outline Deqing's culinary map.

Deqing's flavors are even more distinctive. Here, you can taste a "Jiangnan" in its cuisine and experience how its unique geography and history have collided to create a myriad of wondrous flavors. Feel the magical charm of "a small place reflecting vast China."

Awakened by "sticky-sweet" and "ducky-chewy" delights.

On the "first tier" of Deqing's eastern plains lies a water town—Xinshi, long known as "Little Shanghai." Jiangnan has a tradition of morning tea, and this is especially typical in Deqing. Residents of the eastern water towns rise early, often by 4 a.m., to enjoy morning tea alongside breakfast, where cakes and noodles are the main highlights.

Sixteen cakes carried on the head, sticky-sweet wrapped around plump-meaty.

The jade-like glutinous rice square cakes faintly reveal their brown fillings. A sweet, warm aroma envelops the nose, tempting a bite—wait, it's actually meat-filled! Resembling a zongzi, yet the rice has transformed from distinct grains into "molecular cuisine"; like a meat bun, yet the steamed cake outshines the filling, offering a chewy "SPA" for the tongue.

This is Xinshi tea cake, the "heart and soul" of Xinshi Ancient Town, so unique that it's unavailable in other Jiangnan water towns. It even inspires a local saying: "A scorpion lingers in Xinshi—one of a kind in Jiangnan."

Square, sticky-sweet Xinshi tea cakes.

Legend has it that Xinshi tea cakes originated in the Southern Song Dynasty. Every morning, as mist awakens the town, street vendors carry cake boxes (steamers) on their heads to sell at teahouses, where patrons—mostly tea drinkers—find each box neatly packed with 16 square cakes.

Xinshi tea cakes are steamed and typically eaten for breakfast. Beyond pork fillings, local ingredients like fresh bamboo shoots and chives can be added for richer flavors. Many crave this delicacy precisely because it's unique to Deqing. The standard way to enjoy it is two tea cakes paired with a fried dough stick and a bowl of savory soy milk or tofu pudding, kickstarting a hearty day.

Tea cakes are beloved by water town residents. Their sticky-sweet outer layer, made from a "golden ratio" of glutinous and japonica rice, offers a satisfying chew, while the filling—made from free-range pork—delivers robust umami. The springy carb wrapper is both delicious and filling. A small tea cake holds the "uniqueness" of the water town.

The taste of home in a water town is hidden in a bowl of duck-bound noodles.

Mornings in Xinshi Ancient Town are fragrant with duck. Small eateries are always filled with noodle-slurping patrons. Tables polished by time hold large bowls of noodles and small bowls of toppings. The noodles come in soup or dry styles, but the toppings are visually striking—duck legs, meat, and gizzards, all crisscrossed with binding marks like a pineapple. This is Xinshi duck-bound noodles.

The "bound" in duck-bound noodles doesn't refer to duck feet but to the tied marks. The term "jiao" can be written in multiple ways: "bound" (绞) for the string tying, or "dumpling" (饺), as the duck is wrapped like a dumpling.

Before stewing, the duck is tightly bound with cotton thread. After hours of boiling, it remains intact, with the meat becoming firm and springy, locking in layers of aroma. Yet, when the chef cuts the strings, the meat falls off the bone effortlessly.

When served, two bowls are presented—one with noodles and the other with toppings, usually kept separate. However, the noodles come in two varieties: soup noodles and mixed noodles. Some who order soup noodles may pour the duck leg and duck meat into the broth, creating an exceptionally delicious flavor.

Photo/stelazxy

For this bowl of duck noodle soup, people are willing to wake up early. It’s typically a breakfast dish, and by afternoon, most shops have already sold out. The pot simmers overnight, cooking for an exceptionally long time, soaking the darkness into the pot’s walls and letting moonlight illuminate the bowl’s rim.

Besides duck legs, duck meat, and duck gizzards, tofu skin rolls are also a standard addition. A typical order includes four duck feet, two tofu skin rolls, and one duck gizzard. Extra toppings depend on one’s "stomach capacity," ensuring a satisfying meal.

A bite of the tofu skin roll reveals a filling-packed interior.

Deqing locals pair their morning duck noodle soup with black tea—the duck’s mild freshness and the tea’s mellow warmth create a refreshing combination. Some, however, prefer alcohol, be it beer, baijiu, or huangjiu, reflecting life’s varied stages, each sip gently intoxicating the memories of Deqing’s wanderers.

In winter, the ancient streets of Xinshi Town carry two intertwined scents that drift to your nose: the caramelized sweetness of braised lamb and the mellow aroma of huangjiu. Dozens of lamb eateries in town compose a "symphony of fragrance," dispelling the damp chill of the watertown’s winter.

Deqing’s subtropical humid monsoon climate leaves its eastern plains chilly. Without central heating, winter can be harsh, making warming foods the season’s greatest comfort. A steaming bowl of braised lamb and a few sips of huangjiu in any lamb shop feel like "sitting in the spring breeze."

In Xinshi Town, larger lamb shops typically prepare one pot in the morning, selling from around 10 a.m., and another in the afternoon, ready by 4 p.m. Business is so good that using over a thousand pounds of raw lamb daily is no surprise.

Xinshi lamb’s unique aroma comes from its signature cooking method—braising with the skin on, unlike elsewhere. Masters use smoke-blackened stoves and mulberry firewood, whose fragrance not only removes gaminess but also infuses spices deep into every fiber of the meat.

The rich, soy-colored sauce of Zhangyipin, a local time-honored braised lamb brand.

Despite being lamb, it’s cooked in the Jiangnan style—rich, oily, and soy-sauce-heavy. Tender local lamb is paired with Shandong dates, aged ginger, year-old soy sauce, and refined rock sugar, plus secret ingredients. Long braising over charcoal and generous soy sauce are the keys to eliminating gaminess and enhancing flavor.

After four or five hours, the lamb is ready. A wobbling piece, its collagen-rich skin like translucent agate, nearly melts at a touch. The date-red meat is tender and caramelized. A sip of warm huangjiu at this moment, amplified by the lamb’s richness, turns the wine velvety, like "liquid toffee."

Braised lamb with skin, packed with collagen.

There’s a tale about the sauce-braised lamb: in the past, when logistics were underdeveloped, it was made into lamb dumplings as a popular gift, though this tradition has faded. Meanwhile, Xinshi’s lamb noodles are the origin of Deqing’s lamb noodle tradition, with nearly all county shops tracing their roots here.

A cup of "tea that fills you up"

In Deqing’s mid-hill region near Xiazhu Lake stands the Fangfeng Temple. Ancient Deqing belonged to "Yangzhou" in the "Yu Gong’s Nine Provinces" and was once the "Fangfeng Kingdom." Its tribal leader, Fangfeng, rivaled Yu the Great in flood control but was executed out of jealousy, leaving a tragic legend.

Fangfeng Temple’s tea, made from local seasonal ingredients, follows a unique "three-step" ritual. The first is "roasted bean tea." Young edamame harvested after the autumn equinox, called "frost-fallen green," are boiled to remove seed coats, then steamed and oven-dried into "smoked green beans." After five hours, the beans wrinkle and release their aroma—crisp yet tender, perfect as a snack.

Smoked green beans, a pinch of tender tea leaves, shredded salted citrus peel, black sesame, and perilla seeds make roasted bean tea. The latter three are called "tea fruits." The tea blends fresh and toasty notes, with optional osmanthus for extra fragrance and cold-dispelling effects—said to relieve Fangfeng’s rheumatic pain from flood control.

Xiazhu Lake is Jiangnan’s largest natural wetland, especially chilly and damp in cold weather. Roasted bean tea may be an ancient remedy. Modern versions add dried tofu, tofu skin, and bamboo shoots—a rainbow of colors, like drinking a "liquid rainbow."

In the Fangfeng tea ceremony, after serving roasted bean tea, the second course is pure green tea. Deqing's green tea is also famous, with a sweet and mellow taste and refreshing flavor. The third course is "sugar-rolled eggs," where eggs are briefly boiled in water and sweetened with sugar, known as "sugar-rolling," also referred to as "tea snacks." Locals serve these three teas when hosting guests—almost more of a "meal" than a "drink," as the three courses are enough to fill one up.

The most stylish homestays, the most "rustic" New Year pigs

Deqing's "third-tier" western Moganshan area is the first barrier of the Hangjiahu Grand Plain. After Shanghai opened as a port in the late Qing Dynasty, foreign warships and cannons breached this eastern fishing harbor, revealing the flat alluvial plain of the Shanghai Bund. Through telescopes, Moganshan could be seen at a glance. Named after the legendary swordsmiths Ganjiang and Mo Ye from the Spring and Autumn Period, this mountain is known as the "First Mountain of Jiangnan."

Moganshan Yiyuan, a Sino-Western fusion villa built in 1930.

Fig. 1 Photo by Jiangzi's Cat; Fig. 2 Photo by Blake CLF

Moganshan was first discovered by the world in 1894 when Western print media reported on its "Summer Retreat Bay." In 1896, the first missionary villa was completed on Moganshan. Soon after, churches were built, swimming pools and tennis courts appeared, and travel agencies from various countries opened... While Hangzhou's urban area was still in darkness, Moganshan already had a power plant. Before the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Moganshan's prosperity was second only to Shanghai and was called the "World Architecture Expo."

Later, these characteristics of Moganshan were rediscovered by the homestay market, leading to the construction of unique foreign-style buildings like the French Mountain Residence, forming a distinctive "foreign-style homestay" aesthetic. The Moganshan phenomenon offers a glimpse into the historical changes of Zhejiang. Over time, these historical traces have been preserved as many unique "foreign-style homestays."

But beyond its prominent reputation, Moganshan's local rustic flavors are also worth noting. Particularly unique are the mountain-raised native pigs. Unlike many local "black pigs," Moganshan's native pigs are usually white, with thick fat that is rich but not greasy. During the New Year, bookings for Moganshan homestays' "New Year pig feasts" are highly popular, with some tourists even sharing the meal.

"Homestays + folk customs" have become two sides of Moganshan. If high-end homestays are its "A-side," then its "B-side" is the down-to-earth local delicacy—"pig-slaughtering feast."

Preparing the pig-slaughtering feast—guess how many dishes can be made?

On a winter night in Moganshan, with cold stars still hanging in the sky, the bubbling "water stars" in farmhouse pots signal preparations for slaughtering the New Year pig. Locally, pigs are typically slaughtered in the last days of the lunar year, after the Minor New Year. Villagers invite close friends from the city to join the feast, drink, and return home with dozens of pounds of meat for the New Year.

Locally, slaughtering the New Year pig is a grand event. Friends gather, hosted by one person who buys a pig, often reserved early in the year. Every part of the pig is meticulously utilized. Offal is eaten first, and pork is stir-fried fresh or cooked in a hot pot or stove—this is the pig-slaughtering feast.

The hot pot for the pig-slaughtering feast, cooked on-site, is called the "three-layer pot": a layer of bamboo shoots, a layer of pork, and a layer of tofu, simmered together, somewhat resembling Huizhou's "Hu Shi Yipin Pot." Though not as refined, its simplicity and rich flavor are its "undeniable appeal." The feast is usually paired with yellow wine, which can be enjoyed without intoxication.

To combat the winter damp and cold, Moganshan has "ash kang" beds—wooden beds heated by charcoal stoves beneath. After the New Year pig feast, friends sit on the kang, covered with thin quilts, sipping tea, cracking melon seeds, and chatting in warmth—a natural "social network." Below the kang, potatoes and sweet potatoes simmer, while dried bamboo shoots roast above, filling the night with the aroma of next year's harvest. The rising smoke from the charcoal stove carries the warmth of Jiangnan's everyday life.

Special thanks to the interviewed/reviewing expert—

Lai Huineng, Deputy Director of *Xiaokang* Magazine, Standing Committee Member of Zhejiang Federation of Industry and Commerce,

Celebrated Lecturer at Zhejiang University National Cadre Training Center

Cover image | Spring's Subtle Life

Title image | Hu Li Has a Key