Dumpling Banquet

 Whether you are traveling in the north or in the south of China, one delicacy you are almost sure to find on the menu is the dumpling. A universal favorite, the Chinese dumpling has a long history and is an essential part of celebratory meals such as those prepared for the Chinese Spring Festival. The dumpling can be anything from a quick snack to a delicacy with which to entertain family and friends or the basis of a veritable feast.

A well-known story tells how that long ago during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD) a doctor named Zhang Zhongjing traveled back to his hometown in the county of Nanyang. He found the people were suffering from an outbreak of typhoid and dying from hunger and cold. The weather was so cold that many had frostbitten ears. The kindly doctor set about concocting a mixture of mutton, cayenne and a special medicine that he wrapped in a piece of ear-shaped dough. These dumplings he created were fed to the starving people, and by New Year's Eve, not only were they saved from the typhoid epidemic but also their frost bitten ears had healed. The doctor's fame became legendary and thus the dumpling became a popular addition to the Chinese diet.

Xian, an ancient city that has been the nation's capital during no less than eleven dynasties spanning more than a thousand years, is regarded as the home if not the birthplace of the dumpling tradition. It was here that the art of creating the most tasty and delicate of dumplings was refined and no visit to the city is complete unless you partake of a dumpling banquet.

This is an experience almost especially aimed at the dumpling connoisseur. The flavors, shapes and colors will tempt the palette, while the elegant names and stories attached to each variety of dumpling are truly amazing. It is no less amazing that a simple way of preparing food has become so very popular and sophisticated that it is now considered to be as much a work of art as a tasty morsel.

While in Xian, here are some dumpling restaurants you should give a try. 

Tours to Xian

> Tianjin Port to Xian two-day tour

> Beijing to Xian Overnight Train Tour

> Beijing to Xian by Air Same-day Tour

> Beijing to Xian two-day Tour

> Shanghai to Terracotta and Xian one-day tour

> Shanghai to Xian Terracotta Two-day Tour