Recommended Zhouzhuang specialities

Zhouzhuang, a famous water town in Kunshan, Jiangsu province, is a popular tourist attraction that boasts various local specialties. Here are some recommended special food and delicacies for visitors to share with their families and friends.

Wansan Pork Shank

Wansan pork shank [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Wansan pork shank, also known as wan san ti in Chinese, is a traditional dish for treating guests in Zhouzhuang. It is often eaten by locals hoping to get a promotion in the New Year.

The dish is dated back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), when Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang named it after Shen Wansan, a man of huge wealth.

Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, with the intention of causing embarrassment, ordered Shen to cut apart the shank without a knife. Smart Shen took out a thinner bone running through the shank as a bone knife to cut the shank. Since then, it has become a traditional pattern for Zhouzhuang residents to share the shank with the bone knife.

Wansan cake

Wansan cakes [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Wansan cakes have been popular among tourists. With hundreds of years' of history, they were named by Wansan as they were ordered by Shen Wansan to treat his friends and relatives in annual festivals at that time.

The cakes, made of first-class glutinous rice, have more than 20 varieties including sesame, peanut, walnut, mung bean and pine nut cakes.