What “guojie diao” means
Snacking around the streets of Anshun is locally called “guojie diao” — eating from one end of the street to the other. The small shops and stalls look plain but are often long-running old places, cheap and authentic.
Flavours worth trying
- Bingjiang — a summer sweet of blended fruit and milk, cooling and refreshing;
- Duoduofen — rice tofu as the base, sour and spicy, a most representative Anshun snack;
- Mala gansi — a soy snack, numbing-spicy and savoury, better with every chew;
- Cold rice tofu and cold pan-fried noodles — refreshing street coolers;
- Tofu balls and fried small fish — crisp outside, tender inside, good with meals or drinks.
Where to start
Walk south from a street on one side of the old town, past the commercial street and the lanes on either side; within walking distance there are shops and stalls everywhere — eating as you go is best.
Fitting it in
- Time: fit it before or after Huangguoshu; the street life is liveliest in the early evening;
- Pairing: convenient with Anshun's historic quarter and Hongshan Lake;
- Tip: choose clearly priced, hygienic shops, order as needed and avoid waste.
