Liaoning's Wealthiest City Per Capita Makes Crab Affordable for All Northeasterners

In the stunning autumn of Northeast China, beyond the kaleidoscopic forests, fiery red maple leaves, and misty mountain streams, the most unexpected and unconventional scenery is undoubtedly Panjin's Red Beach.

Those who have never seen the Red Beach would struggle to even imagine it: on the alkaline tidal flats along the Bohai Sea, where almost no plants grow, only seepweed survives. When the autumn wind sweeps through the Northeast, vast stretches of seepweed begin to turn red, starting as a faint pink and deepening into a vivid crimson... Like wildfire, they spread across the tidal flats. The autumn tides flow into the winding gullies, resembling the pulsating veins of the sea—an absolute rarity on this planet.

Panjin's Red Beach, where streams resemble the veins of the earth.

Did you know? For a long time, the city with the highest GDP per capita in Liaoning was neither the major cities of Shenyang nor Dalian, nor the renowned steel hubs of Benxi or Anshan, but Panjin—a city with just over 30 years of history, home to the breathtaking Red Beach, and the smallest in area in the province (though surpassed by Dalian in recent years). While most people first hear of Panjin because of its rice, few realize that its river delicacies, seafood, and fruits are among the finest in the Northeast, capable of astonishing visitors from afar...

So, what kind of magical place is Panjin? What makes it so uniquely important to Liaoning and China?

From the "Southern Wasteland" to the Rise of Panjin

Although Liaoning has historically been the most connected to the Central Plains among the three northeastern provinces, with the richest historical legacy, ancient Panjin had little to boast about. The reason? It was a vast wasteland formed by receding seas—endless reeds, treacherous marshes, and sprawling saline-alkali lands, earning it the fitting name "Southern Wasteland."

Even today, the city retains vast stretches of crucial coastal wetlands.

How did the name "Panjin" come to this desolate land? "Jin" doesn’t refer to Jinzhou but to Jin County (now Linghai City), while "Pan" comes from Panshan County. The name traces back to an ancient courier station, Panshan Station (also called Panshe Station), which wasn’t even in modern-day Panjin but in Beizhen City, Jinzhou... In the 1950s, the government planned to establish a reed farm at the border of these two counties and combined their initials to form "Panjin"—yes, the name was coined that casually, that carelessly.

Panjin's initial rise began with the construction of the Gouying Railway in the late Qing Dynasty. "Gou" refers to Goubangzi, a "roast chicken hub" in Jinzhou along the main railway line, while "Ying" points to Yingkou, a bustling coastal town thriving due to its port and Liao River shipping. This railway, overseen by Zhan Tianyou, crossed the Shuangtaizi River, giving rise to a promising small town named Shuangtaizi. Local gentry deemed it "a natural great town with gathered energy," and under their petition, the administrative office of "Panshan Ting" relocated there, symbolizing the railway's replacement of ancient courier routes as the driving force of regional development. Later, Panshan Ting became Panshan County, and Shuangtaizi was long referred to as "Panshan," forming Panjin's earliest urban foundation.

Ports and bridges along Panjin's coastline.

In early 20th-century Panjin, besides Shuangtaizi's railway-driven growth, the riverside port town of Tianzhuangtai also flourished due to busy Liao River shipping. For wartime grain storage, Zhang Xueliang established the "Yingtian Company" to develop nearby paddies, using tractors ("fire plows") and diesel engines to irrigate with Liao River water, making Panjin the first place in the Northeast to adopt mechanized farming.

Expansive rice paddies within Panjin.

This tradition of rice cultivation never faded in Panjin. Over a century, generations of farmers, especially those who arrived post-1949, successfully tamed the saline-alkali lands. Leveraging abundant water and flat terrain, they transformed once-barren swamps into vast fertile fields. Panjin rice's fame stems not just from ideal natural conditions and modern techniques but also from generations of sweat and dedication.

Panjin's true rise came with oil exploration. After 1949, geologists discovered oil here, and by the 1960s, workers from Daqing and elsewhere began extraction. The Liaohe Oilfield established its headquarters here, soon becoming China's largest heavy and high-pour-point oil production base. The oil boom brought an influx of people and resources, turning endless fields and reed marshes into a thriving industrial hub with rising buildings, expanding roads, and scattered oil facilities.

In 1984, Panjin officially became a city. The oil-driven new urban area, Xinglongtai District, faced the historic Shuangtaizi District ("Old Panshan") across the river, forming the city's modern core. Surrounding them were vast rice fields, reed marshes, and countless oil facilities. Panjin, finally blessed with timing, geography, and human effort, became a fully-fledged city.

Notably, due to the Liao River's diversion and upstream dams, the river—which once flowed into Yingkou (before Panjin's establishment)—shifted to the Shuangtaizi River in the mid-20th century, making it the de facto Liao River. Thus, young Panjin became the sole estuary of Liaoning's mother river—a geographic coincidence that unintentionally mirrors the city's century-long rise from the "Southern Wasteland."

The "Little Jiangnan of the Northeast" lives up to its name.

Visiting Panjin isn’t just about the Red Beach, reed marshes, or oilfield industrial sights—it’s also about savoring its bounty.

First, as home to China's northernmost coastline, Panjin naturally offers delicious seafood. Local clams, dubbed "the world's freshest" by Emperor Qianlong, are stewed with shredded eggplant in a hearty Northeastern style. Fishermen also relish "lu xiapa zi" (marinated mantis shrimp) and "lu xie" (marinated crab)—essentially raw seafood cured in brine, much like Chaozhou's style. From south to north, China's seafood lovers always agree on one thing: the allure of raw cure.

However, the most distinctive feature of Panjin's aquatic products lies not in the sea but in the river. As the Liao River meets the sea in Panjin, the unique hydrological conditions of this large estuary create an environment rich in fish species that thrive at the intersection of salt and fresh water. For instance, in Northeastern dialect, the term "knife fish" typically refers to hairtail from the ocean. Yet, only in Panjin—similar to the lower reaches of the Yangtze River—does this term denote the prized migratory fish that "spawn in rivers and grow in the sea." Likewise, Panjin is also abundant in plump pufferfish. Locals pan-fry the river knife fish and simmer pufferfish in rich cream sauce... First-time visitors to Panjin are often astonished: these delicacies, commonly associated with the Jiangnan region, are actually authentic specialties of this small Northeastern city. In this regard alone, Panjin truly lives up to its nickname as the "Little Jiangnan of the Northeast."

Of course, Panjin's most famous freshwater product is the river crab (known as "hairy crab" in the South). As early as ancient times, the mudflats and reed marshes here teemed with crabs. Locals even have a saying: "Crabs crawl straight into the iron pot." In the past, impoverished fishermen lacked grain and meat but never crabs. To this day, a local delicacy called "crab tofu" remains—a dish where fresh crab meat is extracted, mashed, and molded into a tofu-like paste. Though it sounds extravagant, it was once a staple for Panjin's fishermen...

Authentic crab tofu: a "humble delicacy" unique to Panjin.

GIF / Xiaohongshu: Dawei (Celebrity Cuisine)

Today, Panjin's crabs are typically raised in rice paddies, a practice known as "crab-rice symbiosis," where both benefit mutually. The crabs improve and maintain the paddies, while the paddies make the crabs exceptionally plump and flavorful. This season is the perfect time to enjoy Panjin river crabs. Hearty Northeastern families buy them by the dozens, steam them until the shells turn golden, the meat tender, and the roe abundant—filling the courtyard with an irresistible aroma and delighting hosts and guests alike. The freshwater from the paddies imparts a pure and unique crab fragrance, unmatched by any number of sea crabs.

Beyond fish, shrimp, crabs, and shellfish, Panjin people also incorporate coastal plants into their dishes. The most famous is cattail shoots, featured in *A Bite of China*. These "shoots" are not actual bamboo shoots but the tender cores of cattail roots from the mudflats, stir-fried with meat for a crisp and fragrant dish. Like all Northeasterners, Panjin locals make wild vegetable buns, but their version uses coastal seepweed—a type of "sea vegetable." Here, the coastal fishing culture blends seamlessly with rustic Northeastern farm flavors. Thanks to its unique wetland ecosystem, Panjin's river and seafood offerings differ significantly from those of coastal Liaoning cities like Dalian and Dandong.

Thus, though Panjin is a young city, it fully deserves the title of "fertile and picturesque." This National Day holiday, countless travelers surely marveled at the surreal beauty of the Red Beach and savored the exquisite taste of river crabs. Panjin is destined to become a treasured gem in their memories.

Panjin: the starlit skies along China's northernmost coastline.

How can you visit Panjin without trying its delicacies⁉

👉 Panjin, Liaoning: Alkaline Soil Strawberry Tomatoes

✅ Crispy skin, juicy flesh, golden sweet-sour balance

✅ Tender texture, so delicious you can't stop eating

✅ Farm-grown, pollution-free, and worry-free