Bengbu: Origin, Commerce & Local Specialties

Bengbu rose to prominence thanks to its convenient transport links and flourished through trade, long regarded as a major commercial hub of the Huaihe River Basin. Historically known as the Pearl City, it once thronged with merchants and bustling crowds. Though it no longer boasts the prosperity of its golden age, it remains a vital commercial and distribution center in northern Anhui.

Bengbu specializes in crafting tourist handicrafts including pearls, jade carvings, antique-style jade wares, antiques, bronze vessels and hand exercise balls. Its replica jade and bronze artifacts enjoy nationwide fame. Visitors may browse and select fine pieces at Bengbu Antique & Jade Market.

Renowned local specialties from Bengbu include Huaiyuan pomegranates, Wuhe river crabs, Guzhen peanuts, micro-carvings and pith paintings, all well-regarded at home and abroad.

In the early days, the largest cluster of jade carving workshops lined Yingshi Street, near the bustling Grand Stage in old Bengbu’s mixed-use district. Stepping into this narrow thoroughfare leaves a striking impression: craftsmen grind jade at every doorway, and the constant rasp of polishing stone fills the air. Along this one-kilometer street, nearly every entrance opens into a jade workshop.

The jade carvings vary wildly in scale and style. Some span several meters in length and width with intricate elaborate structures; others are tiny palm-sized trinkets. Certain pieces have an unadorned, unearthed antique aesthetic, while others shine brilliantly. Raw unpolished jade blanks appear dull and lifeless, yet once carved and refined, they take on vivid, lifelike forms.

Reminder: Jade carving workshops can be found everywhere across Bengbu. Beware highly convincing fake antique jade replicas, and exercise caution when making purchases.

Huaiyuan pomegranates boast a long cultivation history and superior quality with an enduring reputation. Records trace their planting back to the Tang Dynasty, and they are documented in official Qing Dynasty histories. The Huaiyuan County Annals state: “Among local fruits, the pomegranate stands unrivaled, superior even to tribute pomegranates from Caozhou. Red blossoms yield red arils; white blossoms bear white arils, and the jade-seed variety is the finest of all.” This proves Huaiyuan pomegranates had formed distinct regional characteristics centuries ago.

Ranked top among all major pomegranate-growing regions nationwide, they win praise from Chinese and foreign visitors for their vivid hue, symmetrical fruit shape, crystal-clear translucent seeds and delightful sweet flavor. Distinctive traits include thin rinds, oversized seeds, rich sweetness, heavy hundred-seed weight, high edible proportion and elevated sugar content.

Two premium varieties—the Jade Teacher Seed and Red Agate Seed—feature soft, edible pits. Their translucent seeds glisten like pearls and gemstones, delivering a mellow, cool, sweet taste. Nutritious and nourishing for the body, they were once presented as imperial tribute fruit. Locals commonly store autumn-harvested pomegranates in cellars to enjoy around the Lunar New Year the following year, when their flavor reaches its peak.

Native to Wuhe County, Tuohu Lake Crabs rank among China’s three most celebrated crab varieties, belonging to the Yangtze Chinese mitten crab species and enjoying equal renown with Yangcheng Lake crabs, with a lengthy production heritage.

Tuohu Lake features lush aquatic vegetation, clean water and abundant natural prey such as small fish, shrimp and snails, creating an ideal habitat and endless food sources for the crabs. Identifiable by their dark green carapaces, pale bellies, golden bristles and claw tips, the crabs are prized for generous roe, plump tender meat, sweet delicate taste and rich nutritional value.

Guzhen stone teapots are sculpted from Lingbi chime stone (also called Eight-Tone Stone) sourced in Lingbi County. Simple and elegant in shape, they match Yixing clay teapots in dimensions and structural design. Featuring unique styling and meticulous craftsmanship, their walls are as thin as paper. Struck lightly, they emit a resonant chime tone, and their polished surfaces shine bright as mirrors, earning them the title of “ultimate teapot masterpiece”.

Crafting a stone teapot demands extreme precision across eight or nine elaborate stages: stone selection, cutting rough blocks, internal hollow carving, shaping, rough sculpting, detailed engraving and polishing, mostly completed by hand or semi-handicraft techniques. Their shapes rival famous Yixing purple clay teapots, enhanced by rich natural veining and coloration. The dense solid stone contains multiple minerals beneficial to human health.

Bengbu produces high-quality natural flute membranes, also known as reed membranes—thin translucent films peeled from hollow reed stalks. Each strip measures roughly 20 centimeters long with a pure white hue. Harvested at the optimal seasonal window, they are the preferred material for all wind pipe instruments.