Guangxi on the Tip of Your Tongue: The Unimaginable Delicacies of Zhaozhou Mansion

Text and photos by Zhu Gege.

What makes Guangxi cuisine different from that of other cities is the concept of 'a hundred cities, a hundred flavors.' In every city of Guangxi, there is a unique style and taste.

Pingle, Guilin, Guangxi is as distinctive as its landscapes; its cuisine stands out even more. This small town is not only rich in history and culture but also famous for its food.

Pingle County, historically known as Zhaozhou, is located in northeastern Guangxi, southeast of Guilin City. It borders Zhongshan County to the east, Zhaoping to the south, Yangshuo to the northwest, Gongcheng to the north, and Lipu City to the west. Pingle County marks the dividing point of the Li River: north of Pingle is called the Li River, and south is called the Gui River. It is one of the famous Greater Guilin tourist areas.

In Nanning, the capital of Guangxi, there is a Zhaozhou Mansion restaurant run by people from Pingle. Just as CCTV's "A Bite of China" once devoted a significant segment to introducing the ancient city of Pingle's cuisine, at Zhaozhou Mansion the various stuffed dishes are rich in texture, with a pure flavor that is not greasy.

The first-floor lobby displays various local specialties of Pingle, such as Qinglong taro, Pingle pomelo, Pingle salted vegetables, fermented bean curd, and local teas. This allows people to buy Pingle specialties without leaving Nanning.

People's attachment to hometown food and their meticulous attention to ingredients are fully reflected in Zhaozhou Mansion's Pingle cuisine series, highlighting the intricate connections between food, geography, and culture.

China has a tradition of selecting different ingredients according to the changing seasons.

The four seasons differ, and the year cycles through them. Adjusting the diet according to the season is a main characteristic of Zhaozhou Mansion.

When people's pursuit of food evolves from mere taste satisfaction to visual and sensory enjoyment, and when delicious food also offers health benefits, this is undoubtedly the happiest expectation of modern people.

Zhaozhou Mansion offers an extremely wide variety of dishes, too numerous to count: steamed, fried, deep-fried, stir-fried, braised, simmered—all kinds. The dishes are beautifully presented, with a large number of finished dishes. A wide array of seasonal vegetables, fish, shrimp, poultry, meat, mushrooms, and eggs can all be used as ingredients.

When you have time, why not gather friends at Zhaozhou Mansion, amid the clinking glasses and laughter? Although we may not compose poems or paint like the ancients, or appreciate poetic charm in a winding stream, we can still play drinking games like caicai ma and water fish, dance, and under the temptation of Guangxi's various delicacies at Zhaozhou Mansion, happily do the Guangxi Kemusan dance to the music "Thinking of Someone," sharing the smoothness and continuing to lead the fashion trend...

Thai-style eel balls

Special handmade Zhaozhou spring rolls

Black-skinned mushroom stir-fried shrimp balls

Special Pingle水上油茶 (water oil tea)

Clay pot fresh abalone braised with fragrant sauce pork knuckle

Clay pot fresh abalone braised with fragrant sauce pork knuckle

At the 5th Guangxi Chef Competition, at the 5th Guangxi Chef Competition, the oil tea meticulously prepared by Zhaozhou Mansion from Nanning won first prize.

Chef Teng Yixuan from Zhaozhou Kitchen won the title of Chef God this year.

That day we drank Liu Ling Zui

I remember more than a decade ago at the Liu Ling Zui distillery in Hebei, I downed a mouthful of rich aroma. When that familiar taste comes back like a dream in the middle of the night, then let's have a hearty toast!