Chongzuo： A Land of Plenty

Situated in the subtropical monsoon climatic zone， Chongzuo is an important base for star anise and chili. Residents are living along the Zuojiang River which is rich in resources by virtue of the fertile soil. In this land， there are vast stretches of paddy fields， with high standard in nutrition. Also， the Kuding Tea will wake you up with a pleasure of enjoying the rich taste， leaving lingering flavor in your mouth. In autumn， sheds are setting up in the fields， hanging with green full cowpeas. What an excellent harvest it will be！

A big fan of bitter

For a long time， the wild Kuding Trees， naturally distributed in Hainan Island， have been spread and appreciated in Chongzuo. Kuding Tea， a healthy drink for thousands of years made from the buds of the Ilex Kuding Tree， is known for its various medical properties such as cooling， detoxifying and promoting blood circulation， dispersing wind-heat， reducing inflammation， and aiding digestion. Several cups of Kuding Tea a day is conductive to reducing blood pressure and controlling obesity. In Chongzuo， Kuding Tea has been dubbed as the “healthy tea”， “beauty care tea”， “slimming tea”， “anti-hypertensive tea”， and “l(fā)ongevity tea”， and popular among all people regardless of age and sex.

In addition， there is a distinctive feature of the taste of Kuding Tea. Featuring an aromas， the taste is bitter at first but with a somewhat sweet aftertaste， hence its name. For local people， Kuding Tea is not only a source of income， but also a way to welcome visitors and bring people together. If you are a tea aficionado， you should sample the famous Kuding Tea. Only a cup a Kuding Tea， your worries and tiredness can be washed away.

The classical fragrance of Chongzuo

Five-spice powder is a mixture of five spices often used in Chinese cuisine. Most of the famous Chinese cuisine such as Cantonese roasted duck， as well as beef stew will adopt the five-spice powder. Nowadays， this powder has been widely incorporated into other favored cuisines throughout Asia. The exquisite flavor will take ground in your mouth and linger in there. Depending on the perfect growing conditions， star anise， one of the five spices in Chinese five-spice powder， is highly produced in Chongzuo. Between March and May， this spice can be harvested.

Like an eight-pointed star， star anise plays a major role in Chinese cuisine and has made great contributions to the world. Apart from being a condiment， it is supposed to be medicine -- a natural material used to fight bird flu in humans. In Asia， more than sixty people and tens of millions of birds died of bird flu. People who afraid of this kind of flu begun to apply star anise into the cooking. In the Ningming county， there is a total forest coverage of 2 million Mu， most of which are the lushly growing star anise trees.

A strong but pleasant spicy flavor

Due to the mild climate and abundant rainfall， the primary products for the locals are subtropical crops such as rice and corn. The people eat all kinds of meat， including beef， mutton， pork and chicken， etc. The cuisines of their daily life are of various kinds； however， a strong but pleasant spicy flavor produced by the red cluster pepper cannot be forgotten by the people in Chongzuo.

Red cluster pepper is treated as a condiment in many regions. In Chongzuo， foods with hot pepper as side dishes are favored by many people. The cuisine here is well known for its superb balance of spices and aromatic flavorings. Red cluster pepper which is vital to the cuisine is piquant and full of zest. The dishes look red in color， smell sweet and taste hot. On seeing outsiders， the villages are always hospitable， which is maybe influenced by their eating habits. If you take a trip through a relatively lonely country， you will find that strings of hot peppers are usually hung on the door of each house.

Roasted Suckling Pig： To make the pigskin yellow and bright silk， the pig should be roasted meticulously with unique craft and skilled fire worker. Its flavor is crisp， fragrant and delicate. Particularly， the sucking pig needs to be raised with the polished glutinous rice to make its thin cover tender.

Glutinous Rice Cake： Made of glutinous rice， it tastes soft and sweet. Serving as an important part of the eating culture， this dessert originated from eastern China is mild and less of oil， with many shapes.

Sliced Boiled Chicken： Without adding any other flavor except boiled water， this famous dish can maintain the tenderness of the chicken， but also makes it tastier and more refreshing. In addition， this simple cuisine can be cooked at home or be served in the banquet.

Jackfruit： Adapted to humid subtropical climates， it is the world’s largest tree-borne fruit. With an enormous size， the jackfruit tree is handsome and stately. When fully ripe， the unopened jackfruit emits a strong disagreeable odor， resembling that of decayed onions， while the pulp of the opened fruit smells like pineapple and banana.