Introduction to Special Local Products of Yingde

Yingde is hailed as the "Hometown of Chinese Black Tea". As one of China’s three major black teas, Yingde Black Tea is celebrated for its glossy dark brown dry leaves, bright reddish liquor, rich intense aroma and mellow smooth taste. It was exported to the British royal family as early as the early years. Tea cultivation has a long history in Yingde: tea drinking prevailed as early as the Tang Dynasty, and Yingde tea was designated a tribute tea in the Ming Dynasty. Certified as a Product Protected by National Geographical Indication, Yingde Black Tea sells far and wide, winning renown both domestically and internationally.

Jiulong Tofu is made from high-quality local soybeans and mineral-rich mountain spring water. It is famous for its high protein content, ultra-silky tender texture, delicate fresh flavour and strong authentic bean taste. Varieties include yellow firm tofu, soft water tofu, fried tofu and stuffed tofu. It can be cooked via simmering, pan-frying, deep-frying, boiling and stewing, with nearly ten distinct flavourful dishes derivable from this single ingredient.

A product with National Geographical Indication certification, Xiniu Giant Bamboo Shoots are renowned across and beyond Guangdong Province for their tender crispness and rich distinctive bamboo flavour, earning them the title of "the most precious vegetable treasure". The bamboo shoots boast outstanding nutritional and medicinal value, abundant in crude fibre, protein, eighteen kinds of amino acids, as well as a full spectrum of minerals and trace elements. As a natural pollution-free premium health food, they are a top-grade delicacy for banquets.

Characteristics of Yingde Green Tea: plump and sturdy tea strips, elegant delicate fragrance, rich mellow sweet brisk taste, yellowish-green clear liquor, and tender even yellowish-green brewed leaves. Long favoured by consumers for its attractive shape, vibrant colour, fresh aroma and refreshing flavour, Yingde Green Tea was appraised by medical staff, microbiology experts and environmental specialists of Guangdong Province in 1986 to contain high manganese content with effects in liver cancer prevention. Main varieties include Yanbei High Mountain Cloud and Mist Tea, Big Silver Hair Tea and Yingzhou Spiral Tea.

Yingde Town boasts a long history of processing dried bean curd sticks, which carry an exceptionally fragrant taste with crisp, smooth and chewy texture. Long celebrated for unique traditional craftsmanship and generations of accumulated experience, yuba is a signature delicacy for entertaining local guests. After the reform and opening-up, yuba processing flourished rapidly. Major restaurants across the urban area serve Yingde yuba as a signature dish for distinguished visitors.

Pounded tea congee is the most widespread traditional staple food in rural Yingde, enduring through generations. It is prepared by pounding fresh tea leaves, roasted peanuts and ginger into a paste, then blending the paste into boiling plain congee. Slightly bitter yet sweet, it promotes fluid production to quench thirst, clears internal heat to relieve summer heat, refreshes the mind and stimulates the appetite, never growing tiresome to the palate.

Locally also known as rice strips, bundled noodles or sliced noodles, Qingtang Rice Noodles from Qingtang Town of Yingde date back to the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty and are a time-honored local specialty. Milled from premium non-glutinous rice and processed with traditional techniques, the noodles are pure white, even and fine-textured. They do not turn mushy when boiled, delivering a fragrant smooth taste; when stir-fried with oil, they become soft, chewy and palatable.

Also called Yingde Stone, Ying Stone ranks among China’s four famous garden ornamental stones. Sculpted by thousands of years of drastic temperature swings, torrential rains and wind erosion, the stones feature exquisite translucent, delicate forms, summed up concisely by four artistic qualities: slim silhouette, wrinkled texture, hollow cavities and translucent perforations. Large Ying Stones can be stacked to create miniature mountain landscapes for courtyards and gardens, while smaller pieces are crafted into tabletop miniature landscape rockeries, holding high ornamental and collection value.

Xu Qixiu Herbal Tea is a well-known herbal tea brand originating from Hanguang Town, Yingde City. Its proprietary formula is protected as a Provincial and National Intangible Cultural Heritage of Food, forming an integral part of herbal tea culture across Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. Embodying the distinctive Lingnan herbal tea culinary culture, the brand enterprise holds the honor of China Time-honored Brand with profound corporate cultural heritage.

Yingde is named the Hometown of Sericulture in China. Situated in a subtropical monsoon climate zone, it boasts ideal climatic conditions for mulberry planting and silkworm rearing. With vigorous governmental guidance, Yingde has developed into a major base for mulberry cultivation, silkworm raising and silk reeling in Guangdong Province. Sericulture production in Yingde began in 1955 and has been promoted across towns including Hanguang and Dawan. Core sericulture products include mulberry saplings, silkworm cocoons and raw silk