Why Guangxi Reigns as the Most Competitive Player in China's Rice Noodle Industry
The most complex bowl of rice noodles in China is found in Guangxi.
In the vast realm of southern rice noodles, fierce competitors abound. Hunan people only compete within their province, with none of the fourteen prefectural cities bowing to the others; Jiangxi reluctantly admits to being an "inconspicuous province," but insists its rice noodles are divinely delicious. However, when it comes to the diversity of rice noodles, Guangxi people lay their cards on the table: our rice noodles are the best in the world!
Guangxi people's rice noodles—abundant, abundant, abundant.
Rice noodles in Guangxi account for almost half of the local diet—Baise's roast duck noodles, Chongzuo's chicken noodles, Qinzhou's pork trotter noodles, Yulin's beef brisket noodles, Hechi's roasted meat noodles, Liuzhou's snail rice noodles, Beihai's seafood noodles... poultry, pork, beef, river delicacies, and seafood—everything is included.
Laoyou rice noodles: a powerful combination of soup and ingredients.
The shapes are also quite unique—knife-cut noodles-like flat rice noodles, sieve-pressed rice noodles, slightly sour and instantly addictive fermented rice noodles, worm-shaped "rice noodle worms," thick and large rolled rice noodles... tall, short, fat, thin, long, and thick—there's something for everyone.
Hengzhou's簸箕粉 (basket rice noodles) are eaten freely, emphasizing bold and hearty bites.
If there really is a "rice noodle heaven," it must look like Guangxi.
How deep is Guangxi people's affection for rice noodles?
Just as Sichuan people save delicious dishes "to eat with noodles in the evening," Guangxi people reserve the most stunning ingredients of each city for their rice noodles. Depending on the mountains and the sea, each city in Guangxi has developed its own distinctive rice noodle flavors.
The snail rice noodles with pork trotters Plus version is filled with classic Guangxi rice noodle ingredients.
Qinzhou pork trotter noodles—even the gods would roll over for them!
Guangxi people eating rice noodles truly consume a lot of meat.
For example, a bowl of Qinzhou pork trotter noodles is not just noodles but满满的胶原蛋白 (full of collagen). Before eating, Qinzhou people select pork trotters from a pot to place in their bowls, choosing according to preference for fatty or lean, big meaty bites or careful bone gnawing.
The secret to identifying great pork trotter noodles is glossy, reddish pork trotters and aromatic braising sauce. The blanched noodles need a ladle of the pork trotter braising liquid to soulfully complete them. The soup is slightly yellow, the pork trotters tender but not mushy, fatty but not greasy. Eating the entire bowl, noodles and soup, is deeply satisfying.
Chongzuo chicken noodles: the most dazzling fusion style.
West of Qinzhou, in Chongzuo's Tiandeng County, chicken noodles feature original chicken broth and chicken, using freshness and sweetness as the base. Local free-range chickens are used, prepared as white-cut chicken, sliced fresh and placed over the noodles when served. The chicken skin is glossy yellow and crisp, the meat tender, white, and firm. The broth, made from pork bones and chicken, is clear, bright, and tea-colored when poured over the noodles.
Chongzuo's chicken noodles are refreshingly light and delightful.
With such a bowl of chicken noodles, too many side dishes would overshadow the chicken's flavor. Thus, it's best to simply squeeze a bit of small lime juice over it, using this tangy freshness to add layers to the taste.
Those who love spice can add some Tiandeng-specific指天椒酱 (bird's eye chili sauce), and that is enough. Southwestern Guangxi borders Vietnam, and some cuisines have Vietnamese influences. Tiandeng chicken noodles lean Chinese, while Dongxing chicken noodles are more like Vietnamese pho, seasoned with fish sauce and rice vinegar in addition to lime.
Yulin Raw Ingredient Rice Noodles, So Fresh It'll Blow Your Mind!
In Eastern Guangxi, Yulin Raw Ingredient Rice Noodles reign supreme.
The biggest feature of Raw Ingredient Rice Noodles is the ultimate freshness of the ingredients.
A bowl of Raw Ingredient Rice Noodles requires a rich broth and fresh side dishes. The essence lies in cooking fresh meats like pork, pork liver, and pork intestines together with rice noodles in a simmered pork bone broth. The cooked noodles feature soft and glutinous pork liver, delicious lean meat, and crispy intestines. The rice noodles absorb the broth, making them fragrant and delightful.
Raw Ingredient Rice Noodles are all about freshness, while Yulin Beef Brisket Rice Noodles become more flavorful with each chew, thanks to the star ingredient: beef brisket. Made from the resilient rump meat of local yellow cattle (known as "dabang rou"), the beef brisket turns a beautiful coffee color after preparation—chewy but not tough, sweet and savory, becoming more delicious the more you chew. Just as pickles complement rice, beef brisket pairs perfectly with noodles, infusing the dish with a rich, sweet aroma that grows more satisfying with every bite.
Roast duck is also a classic meat topping for Guangxi rice noodles.
Chicken, duck, beef, lamb, pork, and intestines—Guangxi locals are generous with their meat toppings, piling them high on their noodles. In Wuzhou, beef brisket noodles feature large, tender, and juicy chunks of beef brisket, with the noodles soaking up the beefy broth. In Hechi's Yizhou Roast Pork Noodles, marbled pork is roasted in a charcoal oven, resulting in crispy-outside, tender-inside roast pork (char siu) with an irresistible aroma.
Beihai Seafood Noodles: Longer Than the Coastline
In coastal Guangxi cities, seafood is a staple in noodles—a single bowl can hold an entire ocean.
Beihai and Fangchenggang, both with coastlines, incorporate seafood into their rice noodles, using methods like frying, boiling, and stewing to create pots of deliciousness. Fangchenggang's Jing Ethnic Fried Noodles are a specialty of the Jing people, China's only oceanic ethnic group. The dish involves stir-frying Jing-style rice noodles with dried shrimp, sea snails, and other seafood, resulting in noodles that taste of the sea and seafood infused with the aroma of rice noodles.
A bowl of seafood noodles from Guangxi is filled with fish, shrimp, and shellfish.
Photo / Foodie Yumo Travel Diary, Image / Tuchong Creativity
In Beihai, small sand crabs are crushed to extract crab juice, which is simmered with various seafood to create a bowl of Crab Roe Noodles. Alternatively, seafood and rice noodles are simply boiled together to highlight the authentic flavors. No extra seasonings are needed—the natural taste of the ingredients delivers ultimate freshness.
Guangxi locals not only use a lot of meat in their noodles but also put great thought into preparation. Even the same type of meat is cooked differently across regions, resulting in locally distinctive noodles.
Raw ingredients and pot-roasted meats are both characteristic features of Guangxi rice noodles.
Take duck, for example: different regions in Guangxi have their own duck noodle variations. Tianyang Roast Duck Noodles in Baise have a Cantonese-style roast duck with crispy skin, tender meat, and a subtle sweetness. The clear broth noodles paired with fatty roast duck create a perfect balance. In Guigang's Qiaoxu Duck Noodles, the duck is simmered with plums, giving it a sweet-and-sour flavor that stimulates the appetite and offers a satisfying chew. In Guilin's Quanzhou Vinegar Blood Duck Noodles, duck blood mixed with vinegar is used to stir-fry the duck, forming a sandy texture on the meat that delivers a unique aroma.
The combination of specialty roast duck and Guangxi rice noodles is a match made in heaven.
Think all rice noodles are savory? For Guangxi locals, they can be sweet or spicy too.
In southern Guangxi, Hua Fen Noodles are a favorite. Made from rice and pagoda tree seeds ground into rice slurry, which is then dripped into boiling water to form light yellow noodles, they are served with brown sugar syrup for a solid, rice-infused sweetness. Quanzhou Red Oil Rice Noodles are covered in a layer of red oil that makes spice lovers drool at first sight. The soybean and pork bone broth base adds depth to the spiciness, creating a bowl of vibrant and flavorful heat.
Hua Fen Noodles, sweetened with brown sugar syrup, are crystal-clear and smooth.
Photo by fengzhenga, Image from huitu.com
In Guangxi, rice noodles have ten thousand possibilities.
The creativity of Guangxi people with rice noodles is greater than a black hole.
The diversity of Guangxi rice noodles isn’t just about the toppings; their forms are always unpredictable.
As an ingredient, rice noodles themselves come in many varieties—rice and water are never simply mixed. Differences in production methods and ratios give rice noodles varying shapes and textures.
Besides Luosifen, Liuzhou also has cold mixed noodles.
Round and flat shapes are the most common forms of Guangxi rice noodles, each with further variations. Even among round noodles, there are differences in length and thickness—
Guilin rice noodles are long and round, with a soft and smooth texture; Long'an Datoufen are short and round, offering a hearty chew. Among long noodles, Quanzhou red oil rice noodles are thinner with a springy bite; Yulin Dalufen are as thick as a pinky finger and exceptionally tender. Flat rice noodles resemble knife-cut noodles and have a softer, stickier texture compared to round ones. Laoyoufen, Wuzhou beef brisket noodles, and Huangyao fermented soybean noodles use flat rice noodles.
Distinct, strand-by-strand Guilin rice noodles are long and round.
Guangxi rice noodles can also be divided into fresh-wet and dried types. Fresh-wet noodles are usually smooth and easy to eat, requiring little chewing. Though preparation methods vary, they emphasize being made and eaten fresh. Long'an Datoufen involves kneading dough on a perforated board and extruding noodles through the holes; Pumiao raw-pressed noodles are made by pouring rice slurry into a funnel, letting it flow into a hot water pot.
Raw-pressed noodles must be freshly extruded and cooked, offering a unique texture.
The slightly sour Pumiao raw-pressed noodles are an addictive delight. Topped with minced meat, pickled vegetables, and tofu skin, simple accompaniments are enough. The sourness doesn’t come from vinegar but from natural fermentation during processing, creating a distinct flavor. “Eating raw-pressed noodles means enjoying this ‘fermented taste’—it’s what makes it authentic.” Thus, in Zhuang language, it’s also called “fen la sou.”
The subtly sour taste of raw-pressed noodles is intriguingly addictive.
Dried rice noodles are made by dehydrating and drying fresh-wet noodles after shaping and cooking. They are easy to store and transport, requiring soaking before cooking, and have a chewy texture. Liuzhou Luosifen, Jing stir-fried noodles, and Luoxiu rice noodles are dried types. Luoxiu noodles have a long history, being tributed since the Ming Dynasty. Their production involves grinding, steaming, sun-drying, wetting, stacking, pressing, cutting, and drying again. The result is noodles that don’t break easily when cooked and are versatile—excellent for stir-frying or soup.
Dried rice noodles are very resistant to overcooking and have a firm bite.
Beyond common round and flat shapes, Guangxi has many “unique” rice noodles—roll noodles, found in many areas, are thick and chubby instead of slender. A few rolls can make a full meal. Different regions have varying fillings and shapes: Nanning roll noodles are cylindrical, with soft, sticky wrappers rolled around minced meat and vegetables, topped with crushed peanuts and sweet-sour yellow skin sauce, offering a refreshing taste.
Fangchenggang roll noodles resemble Nanning’s but have thinner wrappers, revealing rich fillings through translucent skins. Topped with fried scallions, they are aromatic and appetite-whetting. Yulin’s Bobai roll noodles are cute envelope-shaped parcels packed with deliciousness. Hezhou’s rice corners are translucent, adorable triangles.
Two chopsticks to roll and plate—that’s one roll noodle.
Guangxi also has noodles thick in the middle and thin at the ends, resembling worms, called Nanning stir-fried “noodle worms.” Don’t worry—they’re not real worms but steamed dough strips rolled into shape, named for their resemblance. Though they look like worms, it doesn’t detract from their deliciousness.
Stir-fried, glossy, and tender “noodle worms” look charmingly cute and have a springy bite. Drizzled with sesame oil and plum sauce, topped with mung bean sprouts, chives, and pickled vegetables, they become a bowl of “worm feast” complete in color, aroma, and taste.
Chao Fen Chong is not actually a worm, but has a delightfully chewy texture.
Guangxi rice noodles, which can stealthily blend into the rice cake family due to their appearance, are called "Fen Li"—pillar-shaped rice cakes resembling oversized rice cake strips. Often consumed during the Lunar New Year, they symbolize good fortune. Made by steaming rice slurry until 80% cooked and then drying, Fen Li can be sliced or cut into strips, and enjoyed in soups or stir-fried.
"Nostalgia is a long, long rice noodle."
A Guangxi poet once joked: If I were a kite, the string tugging at me would surely be made of rice noodles.
Guangxi people grow up eating rice noodles. Childhood mornings often begin at a local noodle shop—slurping down a bowl of noodles before grabbing their schoolbags and dashing off to class. The noodles become nutrients for growth, flowing through the bodies of Guangxi natives. Bowl by bowl, they grow up bit by bit.
Sitting on small stools, they eat from childhood to adulthood.
Growing up, nostalgia becomes a long, long rice noodle: I am here, Guangxi is there.
For people from Guilin, nostalgia is the phrase "Er Liang Lu Fen."
Two liang of Lu Fen, loads of lu-style toppings.
Guilin rice noodles come in many varieties, but the current popular "hit" is Lu Cai Mi Fen. It consists of blanched rice noodles topped with lu-style brine, crispy pork, braised meat, and sour-spicy condiments. Well-mixed Guilin rice noodles are described as "each strand has a head yet shows no head, each bowl has broth yet shows no broth"—every strand is evenly coated. A mouthful brings an ethereal umami, enhanced by perfectly braised meat and crispy pork, creating a carnival of flavors.
The streets: the ultimate destination in the world of rice noodles.
As writer Pai Hsien-yung, who returned to Guilin after decades away, wrote: "At the bridgehead of Huaqiao, there used to be several rice noodle shops. I ate Huaqiao rice noodles there as a child and never forgot the taste... When I returned to Guilin, I searched for rice noodles at every meal, eating three or four bowls at a time. It was a primal hunger fueled by nostalgia—insatiable."
For Nanning locals, Lao You Fen is like a dear old friend—"a day without it feels like three years." Originally known as "Lao You Mian" (old friend noodles), a typical Nanning night snack today includes a plate of long stir-fried snails and a wok-hearty bowl of Lao You stir-fried noodles.
Stir-fried snails + Lao You stir-fried noodles: the classic Nanning night snack combo.
The flavor of Lao You Fen mirrors the spirit of Nanning: sour, spicy, yet mellow. The base comes from stir-fried sour bamboo shoots, fermented black beans, and pickled chili, cooked with fresh pork and offal in a rich broth, then combined with sliced rice noodles. It’s a harmonious blend where noodles and ingredients absorb each other’s flavors.
Lao You Fen requires expertise in stir-frying, broth, and toppings.
In the industrial city of Liuzhou, Luosifen has gone national thanks to industrialization—a "triumph of industrial civilization." Unlike fresh-wet noodles for Guilin米粉 or made-to-order Lao You Fen, Luosifen uses dried rice noodles that are rehydrated before eating, making them easy to transport and store. Paired with snail broth and sauce, this bowl of noodles has blossomed nationwide.
Simmered with snails—how incredibly fresh must this broth be?
Thus, the nostalgia of Liuzhou natives has become a shared culinary memory for all Chinese, while the other ten thousand varieties of rice noodles remain a unique nostalgia in the bowls of Guangxi people.