Southwest Guizhou 2: Town of Qingyan

cctv.com 05-12-2004 15:00

The old town of Qingyan, supposedly built more than 600 years ago, and it's all paved with cobbled stones.

The old town of Qingyan was built as a military garrison and it used to be a town of immigrants full of officers and soldiers relocated from central China.

Today, you can find Muslim, Christian and Buddhist houses of worship in the stone town, marking the historic importance of this formerly hustling-bustling transportation center. It is not a very big place by today's term but even the remains of the temples and mosques and churches reflect the former throbbing vitality of the city. You can try many of the local delicacies in the small shops along the road, including spicy cold rice noodle, sticky rice, and freshly ground Doujiang, a beverage made from soy beans. But I was looking for a local specialty that apparently involves an interesting process. I thought it was worth checking out.

For a moment there, I was imagining myself walking in this ancient town, in a sort of fantasy world made of stones. For for people who live here, there is nothing special about these streets they walk on everyday.

Finding the shop making rose candies was not difficult. It's well known and people are pretty helpful about giving directions.

The process of making the rose candy is very interesting. It is made from fermenting wheat sprouts and sticky rice, and many other ingredients including, of course, a special sauce made from roses. The formula is the family secret of the shop owners. This shop has manufactured such candy for more than a hundred years. Traditionally it's believed to be warm in nature and good for moistening the lungs, and relieving coughs.

Among the large number of old stone towns in China, Qingyan is not the best-preserved, but the liveliness of this place and its uniquely local flavor makes it a small world well worth a visit.

Editor:Zhang Wenjie  Source:CCTV.com