Where to Go This National Day? A Foodie’s Guide to Yuanjia Village, the Top Village in Northwest China

Yuanjia Village is a AAAA-rated scenic spot in Yanxia Town, Liquan County, Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province, about 50 km from Xi’an as the crow flies and roughly an hour’s drive away.

It’s a perfect weekend getaway for locals with kids and a paradise for foodies, and it’s also an unmissable stop for anyone visiting Xi’an.

Here you can taste the most authentic Shaanxi specialties, stay in one-of-a-kind rustic guesthouses, and soak up unique Shaanxi folk culture. The village isn’t large, and the main scenic area is quite compact, but its maze of tiny lanes can easily get a first-timer lost. In recent years, they’ve added a Hui Muslim-style street, so you can sample all of Shaanxi’s culinary treasures in one spot.

Want to know what locals eat (or ‘咥’ [dié] in the local dialect) in Yuanjia Village?

Keep reading — no worries, I’ve got you covered!!!

I charged my car to full the night before, all green travel today~

A splash of purple on a country road — definitely an eye-catcher 😂

Foodie has entered the village — time to sweep through the goodies~

After so many visits, I’ve never paid respects to this Buddha statue 😂 My apologies! 🙏🙏🙏

Gray brick paths make you feel like you’ve stepped into a Republican-era market.

There’s a tree of unknown species covered entirely in red strings. No idea if it’s for love, but I’ll tie one on anyway 🌸🌸

Kids just know how to have fun.

Get your stomach ready — let the feast begin!

Right after entering the village, you pass the tea stage (a great spot to sit with a cuppa, play cards, or get your ears cleaned after eating). On the first lane to your right, don’t miss the bean jelly, pig trotters, luo noodles, Qian County tofu pudding, and steamed pork with rice flour.

This guo kui (flatbread) doesn’t look like the authentic Qian County style — more like naan~

If you’ve got a sweet tooth, don’t skip the you gao (fried pastry). Crispy outside with a molten sugar filling inside — my childhood favorite, though I’m less into sweets now.

Sticky noodles are a northern Shaanxi specialty, but I’m not big on wheat noodles, so I’ll pass~

One of the Eight Oddities of Shaanxi — oil-splashed chili as a dish in its own right. When in Shaanxi, you’ve got to try the real deal: oil-splashed chili that goes with everything.

Freshly ground on the spot, you can bring some home, just pour hot oil over it and it’s ready. A cheap, unique souvenir to share with friends.

A few years back, this stone mill was turned by a blindfolded donkey. Now the old guy has probably retired in peace~

That donkey worked so hard, pulling all day long 😂

Candied hawthorn on a stick — kids’ favorite — made fresh on site.

I forgot to mention the fried dough twists on the first lane. There’s always a queue, with a limit of two per person when it’s busy. Rumor has it they pull in 20 million a year — envious, much….

Walking and nibbling the whole way, by mealtime I was already too full to move. These ‘one-bite fragrant’ noodles? I could down eight bowls 👍

At the bend at the end of the first lane, there’s a shop selling sweet potato starch noodles. Their spicy noodles are another must-eat in Yuanjia Village.

Take-home series: handmade fine noodles. Drenched in a sour broth, they’re incredibly appetizing.

Yuanjia Village yogurt is a must. Grab a pot at the end of your food crawl — sweet, tangy, great for digestion, and a magic trick to calm kids.

Time to head home. I couldn’t resist snapping a pic looking up through the ID.6 X’s panoramic sunroof, hahaha

For all you out-of-town friends, if you need tips on routes, where to eat the best stuff, what souvenirs to bring, drop a comment below! ~~~~~

Offering free airport pickup for kindred spirits from out of town — hahaha ~