"Crime Crackdown" Is a Hit: The City Where Sun Honglei Was Wronged Is Also a Foodie Internet Celebrity Hotspot in Hunan

Recently, "Crime Crackdown" has been airing with great intensity. Beyond following the cases in the drama, I'm also quite intrigued by the city "Lüteng" where the story takes place. Since the series is adapted from real cases, the depiction of Lüteng is deliberately blurred. You can often hear accents from different provinces such as Wuhan, Changsha, and Sichuan, but if you look closely, many scenes are filmed in Changsha, Hunan.

"Xiaoyu Wonton," where Sun Honglei often goes, is located on Chaozong Street. The hospital where Zhang Yixing visits his grandmother is the Mawangdui branch of Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, and the temporary office hall for the supervision team is the Furong Hall of Hunan Hotel... However, in recent years, Changsha has indeed become a new internet celebrity city for its great food and fun activities, especially the two most prominent giants in the food scene: Sexy Tea (Chayan Yuese) and Super Wenheyou, attracting countless tourists to the city.

Today, I'll break down the signature foods of Changsha and see what delicious things this city has to offer.

Many cities across China are famous for their rice noodles, such as Liuzhou river snail noodles in Guangxi, Huaxi beef noodles in Guizhou, and Mianyang rice noodles in Sichuan. Changsha rice noodles are often overlooked; even Hunanese tend to think Changde rice noodles are more famous.

In fact, Changsha rice noodles have always been one of the locals' favorite breakfasts and are very distinctive. In terms of shape, they are mainly cut noodles (flat noodles). The broth is usually made from pork bone stock and then supplemented with various ingredients and toppings according to different tastes. The essence lies in the broth and the flat noodles; both are indispensable.

The most authentic Changsha rice noodles are typically made by hand-scalding the rice sheet and then cutting it into strips. Many time-honored Changsha rice noodle shops still insist on using the original broth, believing that toppings like pickled long beans and mustard greens ruin the original flavor. As a result, you can always see Changsha locals slurping noodles in cramped spaces at these vibrant, street-style shops—the lively atmosphere is beyond words.

Stinky tofu first appeared during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty and later blossomed across the country, with Changsha stinky tofu being the most famous. Almost every tourist visiting Changsha is drawn to this black-looking, smelly food. Filled with chili water and topped with scallions, cilantro, and pickled mustard, it tastes exceptionally fragrant.

The production technique of Changsha Huogongdian stinky tofu has been included in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Huogongdian was originally a temple dedicated to the Fire God and has a history of over 260 years. Today, it is often compared to Beijing's Tianqiao and Shanghai's City God Temple. Since the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, the Jiang family from Xiangyin County, Changsha Prefecture, had been making tofu for generations. Later, they accidentally developed the stinky tofu process, and their descendants promoted it after entering Huogongdian.

Apart from Huogongdian stinky tofu, wandering the streets of Changsha, you'll find many other time-honored stinky tofu shops. Some offer mini, cute little pieces of stinky tofu, while others have extremely rich toppings. In any case, they are all as black as ink, tender and bouncy, combining deliciousness with a sense of nostalgia.

Since the first restaurant specializing in flavored crayfish opened at Nanmenkou in Changsha in 1995, Changsha flavored crayfish gradually became popular and turned into the city's signature dish. The term "flavored crayfish" likely originated from Ningxiang flavored snake, which appeared earlier than flavored crayfish. The idea is that dishes should be eaten for their flavor.

When crayfish are cooked heavy oil, heavy spice, and heavy seasonings and served at the table, they are simply called "flavored crayfish." The key to flavored crayfish is the deep-frying process, which requires a large wok, so they can't be sold from pushcarts—only in stores. As a result, flavored crayfish became the mainstay of street night markets, with stalls and small shops using slogans like "No spice, no charge" and "Fear no spice" to attract diners.

Bright red crayfish are served in large basins, with scallion segments and perilla floating in the rich broth. Pick up a crayfish, pull off the claws, crack open the shell to reveal the tender white meat, dip it in the broth—it's incredibly delicious. It is said that Changsha locals who love flavored crayfish can consume the equivalent of a "Yuelu Mountain" every day, which is an astonishing amount.

Tangyuan Baba (sweet glutinous rice balls) is a traditional Changsha snack. The sweet aroma of sugar-oil Baba wafts through the streets and alleys of Changsha, and you often see local girls walking while nibbling on these balls. Following this scent, you can find the small stalls selling Tangyuan Baba; if they are particularly popular, long queues form beside them.

The ingredients for Tangyuan Baba are glutinous rice and sugar. Although the ingredients seem simple, the production process is not. Depending on the method, Changsha's Tangyuan Baba can be divided into two schools: the Ligongmiao school, which is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the Huogongdian school, which is soft and juicy.

The Ligongmiao school mainly uses frying; the freshly fried golden ones are crispy and tender, with a thin crust. The Huogongdian school boils them, with the syrup made from brown sugar, sweet but not cloying. What if you like both? Then just line up and try them!