What Special Local Products Does Zhangjiakou Have?

There is a local saying that Zhangjiakou has three treasures: potatoes, naked oat noodles and thick sheepskin coats. Apart from these three iconic treasures, there are numerous other distinctive local specialties featuring unique regional characteristics, including Bashang wild mushrooms, bracken, imperial tribute rice, sweet apricot kernels, milk grapes, longan grapes, Great Wall dry red and dry white wine, Chaigoubu smoked meat, Huai’an tofu sheets, Yu County paper-cuts and parrot mung beans.

Yu County paper-cut is a distinctive folk art famous both at home and abroad. Its production technique stands out among all paper-cut styles across China. Instead of being cut with scissors, this craft is carved. Thin rice paper serves as the raw material; artisans carve delicate patterns with small sharp gravers, then apply bright, gorgeous dyes for vivid coloring.

Zhangjiakou Bashang wild mushrooms are a type of white wild agaric growing on the Bashang Grasslands of Zhangjiakou. They usually sprout where sheep bones or sheep manure lie, boasting an exceptionally delicious flavor.

Sweet apricot kernels deliver a balanced sweet-and-sour taste and rich nutrition. The apricot fruits are large, with fine, juicy, flavorful flesh and a pleasant sweet-sour profile. They can also be processed into a wide range of products such as preserved apricots, apricot jam, apricot leather, apricot juice and canned apricots.

Chaigoubu smoked meat is a renowned cooked meat specialty native to Chaigoubu Town, Huai’an County. Smoked over cypress wood, it features a glossy appearance, a light non-greasy taste and an exclusive aromatic flavor. Its varieties include smoked pork (streaky pork, pork heads, pork ribs and pork offal), smoked lamb, smoked chicken, smoked rabbit meat and smoked dog meat. The Guo Xi brand smoked meat is the most celebrated among them