Unique hollow rice noodles in south Yunnan’s Jianshui

When it comes to delicacies in China’s southwest Yunnan Province, rice noodles are a must-try. There are diverse kinds of rice noodles in Yunnan, and the hollow rice noodles, made by Zhao Changxiu from Tiesuo Village in southeast Yunnan’s Jianshui County, is said to be unique in the world.

The hollow rice noodles are made from local Jianshui high-quality rice. After soaked overnight, the rice will be ground into paste which will be steamed and made into rice cakes. Then a wooden tool called “Zha”, which has a history stretching back around hundreds of years, will be used in making the rice noodles. The rice cakes will be placed on a special copper sieve built in the “Zha” and squeezed into hollow strips through the sieve holes. The last step is to cool the noodles immediately with cold water and dry them in the open air.

Zhao Changxiu, aged 48, has made hollow rice noodles since he was 12. “There were once 40 to 50 workshops in the village, but in the last two to three decades, only my workshop has persisted in making the hollow rice noodles.” According to Zhao, handmade hollow rice noodles is time- and effort-consuming, but the original flavor of rice can be maintained to the utmost. “Nowadays, the number of people who heard of hollow rice noodles becomes less and less, let alone those who know how to make it,” Zhao said that he keeps making rice noodles every year not only for money, but more importantly for passing on the craft.

Editor: Wang Shixue