Exploring Xiamen's Tong'an district — part one

Beautiful countryside scenery in Xiamen's Tong'an district. [Photo/xmnn.cn]

Compared to the hustle and bustle of downtown Xiamen, the ancient Tong'an district seems charming in its primitive simplicity.

Its beautiful natural scenery, unique residences, and distinctive snacks, with their long history, are fascinating. Enjoying the local delicacies while chatting about the ancient district brings one back to the slow and simple life of days gone by.

Below are four recommended travel routes, which will be discussed in detail in the following four articles.

Route one:

Yiliu Steamed Soup Bun Store – Xiamen Fantawild Dreamland – Ayang Beef Hotpot –Yang Zhuang duck noodles

Daytime:

You can spend a whole day in the Fantawild Dreamland, which is famous for its seamless integration of traditional Chinese culture and advanced technology. It uses advanced 4D dynamic imaging technology to bring tourists breathtaking, thrilling and fantastic entertainment experiences.

For breakfast: Yiliu Steamed Soup Bun Store

Yiliu Steamed Soup Bun Store is quite popular in Tong'an district and throughout Xiamen. Its steamed soup buns – a steamed bun filled with minced meat and gravy – are made by wrappers so thin that you can see the tasty broth flowing inside the dumplings.

The secret to the broth is the addition of pigskin jelly into the filling. When steamed, the jelly will melt into delicious gravy. Also, unlike steamed buns in China's Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, chopped scallions and ginger are added to create a superior taste.

Other recommended delicacies: sour bamboo shoot soup, horseshoe-shaped puff pastry, pig brains and pig hearts (if you can stomach that sort of thing)

Address: Second Yangcuo Road, Tong'an district

Ayang Beef Hotpot is famous for its soup, made from traditional Chinese medicine and ox bones. [Photo/xmnn.cn]

For lunch: Ayang Beef Hotpot

The soup is what makes or breaks hotpot, and this shop's soup is made from traditional Chinese medicine and ox bones. When the soup is boiling, the aroma of Chinese herbs permeates the entire room. Also, since there are bones in the soup, the soup become thicker as it boils.

The shop owner also adds some celery cabbage roots to the soup to offset the bitter taste of Chinese herbs.

In addition to the beef hotpot, you can also try the shop's shredded beef noodles and beef soup.

Address: No 66 Xiqiao Road, Xiangping sub-district, Tong'an district

Yang Zhuang's duck noodles are popular among local residents. [Photo/sohu.com]

For dinner: Yang Zhuang duck noodles

Yang Zhuang, the shop owner, started selling duck noodles in Tong'an district 20 years ago, and his noodles have cast a spell on countless foodies and noodlies (noodle enthusiasts). In addition to duck, Yang also adds Chinese angelica, rehmannia glutinosa and three other Chinese herbs to the soup and simmers it over a slow fire for two hours. After the soup is done, he adds his hand-made thin noodles. The tender duck and chewy noodles will surely lure you in for seconds.

Address: 50 meters southeast of intersection between Fengxiang Road and West Huancheng Road