The First Trip of the Guimao Rabbit Year: Journey to Mountains and Seas – A Record of a Trip to Fuding City

Understanding and spontaneously deciding to spend the Spring Festival holiday in Fuding City originated from my foodie travel buddy's obsession with "Fuding meat slices". Due to the pandemic, we hadn't traveled for years, so we quickly agreed, packed lightly, booked a hotel on Ctrip, arranged for the kids, and on the first day of the New Year, we drove from Suzhou to Fuding in Fujian Province.

After crossing mountains and ridges for seven and a half hours, we finally arrived at Fuding around 3:30 PM and checked into the Fuding Magnolia Hotel. After settling in, we went out to find food. Fuding is a small mountain city that can be explored entirely on a scooter. The city is full of shared electric scooters, very convenient for tourists. You can scan a QR code with your phone, no deposit required, and there are parking spots every 100 or 200 meters along the roads, so parking is never a problem.

So my buddy and I each rented an electric scooter and started our food hunt on the first day of the New Year. Following the guide we had prepared, we traversed Fuding to visit popular meat slice and honey-glazed chicken wing shops. Unfortunately, since it was New Year's Day, all the trendy shops were closed. Finally, after searching in the old town, we found a small open meat slice shop and ordered a bowl of "beef balls". Indeed, Fuding has no bad meat slices. The meatballs were very springy and chewy. The soup base was plain but had a sour and spicy kick. I was amazed the first time I tried it. As a fan of sour and spicy flavors, I could eat this every day.

Moving on, we found a small eatery at a street corner that looked like a breakfast shop. We ordered a bowl of rou yan (meat swallow wonton) and xiaolongbao (soup dumplings). Rou yan looks like wonton, but the skin is said to be made from meat, giving it a chewy texture. The soup base was similar to the beef balls we just had, also on the sour and spicy side. The xiaolongbao were completely different from those in Suzhou. The skin resembled steamed dumpling wrappers, not leavened, shaped into small rounds, with a filling of meat and vegetables. It was obvious the filling was hand-pounded, giving it a springy texture, unlike the loose meat fillings in Jiangnan.

Next, we went back and found a shop specializing in Fuding-style honey-glazed chicken wings. We bought a few wings and ordered a bowl of dry-tossed meat slices. The chicken wings, reportedly air-dried then braised, tasted like "xiangbalao" chicken wings (a rustic braised chicken product). The dry meat slices were overall sour and spicy and quite tasty. Thus ended the first day's food adventure.

Early the next morning, after breakfast at the hotel, we set off for Taimu Mountain. We arrived at the visitor center at the foot of the mountain, bought tickets, and took a bus up. It was drizzling all the way. After about 20 minutes, we reached the entrance of Taimu Mountain. We each bought a raincoat and started hiking. Taimu Mountain has several routes, taking from 2.5 to 6-7 hours. We chose the shortest one. Though the weather was uncooperative – mist and clouds everywhere, we couldn't see anything – breathing the moist air felt like wandering in a fairyland, which was a unique experience.

We finished with the "Hulu Cave" (Gourd Cave). The cave was dark and narrow, about 1 kilometer long, taking over an hour to traverse. We were exhausted by the end. Many sections only allowed one person to pass sideways. It is not recommended for those who are not physically fit or overweight. Halfway, we encountered a tourist who couldn't get through a narrow crevice and had to turn back. Since the cave is one-way and most parts only allow one person, and there were many people, it was quite troublesome. Also, do not carry a large backpack in Hulu Cave; it will get stuck. After emerging from the cave, my buddy and I were completely worn out. We were glad we saved it for last, or else we might not have wanted to climb the mountain.

Next stop: Niulanggang (Cowherd's Terrace), a scenic area themed around the Cowherd and Weaver Girl story. We arrived after 3 PM. Niulanggang is small, with two tiny beaches. In winter, it's not suitable for going into the water. An hour is enough to explore. There is a long seaside boardwalk that is very pleasant to walk on. The entire area is still under renovation. On the way back, we encountered an artificial Milky Way, which was super dreamy – a nice surprise.

In the evening, we returned to downtown Fuding, aiming for Seafood Street. Unfortunately, it was packed; the two most popular seafood restaurants had no tables, and the owners were too busy to attend to us. Finally, we went to a seafood place across the river. Business there was also booming. We grabbed a spot and ordered a few dishes. Overall it was decent, but the variety was not as large as the two big ones across the street.

By the time we finished dinner, it was nearly 9 PM. Exhausted, we went back to the hotel to rest. On the third day, the third day of the New Year, we rode the electric scooters again. The trendy shops were open, so we visited them one by one, tasting small wontons, water rice noodles, and meat slices.

Finally, we bought some water chestnuts and chicken wings to take on the road, then set off for the next destination.