Yongxingfang Route

A quarter gathering a province

Yongxingfang is a food quarter built by gathering the small eats of every corner of Shaanxi into one place. The noodles of the Guanzhong plain, the rough spirits of the north, the sweets of the south line the street eave to eave. So it feels less like walking a single city than crossing a whole province's table. The wide single strand of biangbiang, the sour broth of Qishan saozi, the date-sweetness of zeng gao. Shops named for their home regions stand in a row, place-names printed on the signs. Tidied for visitors though it is, much of the cooking keeps its country form. The pleasure here is choosing what to eat from where, map in hand.

The depth of noodles

Shaanxi is called the home of noodles, and the shapes and ways of eating them are astonishing in number. At Yongxingfang you can measure that depth over a short walk. Biangbiang runs wide as a belt, hot oil raising heat and toastiness. Saozi is cut thin, taken bite by bite in sour broth. From the same wheat, such different textures and tastes appear. Beyond noodles, flatbread too takes the lead: zeng gao layers steamed glutinous rice, persimmon cake works fruit into dough and fries it. The heft of a city of flour is packed in here. Heat and sourness can often be tuned in the shop, so taste the base first, then adjust.

How to walk this route

From Chaoyangmen Station, walk along the wall and pass under the Yongxingfang arch near Zhongshan Gate. The quarter is a maze, so circle it once first to take in the layout and the place-names. Coming at midday, set one axis with biangbiang or saozi noodles and slip in a slice of zeng gao from a neighboring stall. Gourd chicken takes labor, so with a few people sit and share a half, settling in to savor. Tired from walking, take a persimmon cake and rest at the shuaiwan corner watching the bowls break. About an hour and a half in all. Evening draws crowds, so early afternoon moves more easily. Eat noodles hot and save the sweets for last to keep the flow of flavor intact.