People are enjoying the exquisite dishes at the banquet, Zhongshan Ancient Town.
By Parker Walker, iChongqing News
Chongqing - Spring Festival is a time of celebration all across China, where family and friends gather around the table, throw down some food and some hongbaos (red envelopes) and welcome in the Chinese New Year.
Speaking of food, it came to my attention that there was a town in Jiangjin District (Chongqing) that holds kilometer long banquets around every Spring Festival. I learned that the town was called Zhongshan (lit. “middle of the mountain”) and it was designated as an “ancient town”. I had to see what the village and the kilometer long dinner was all about.
When I got to Zhongshan the first thing I realized that there were tons of people there – the reputation of this kilometer long banquet has definitely grown large. Flooding toward the small village were buses of security guards and police, families, curious passers-by and various people working at the carnival.
Speaking of those that were working, I saw magicians, clowns and all sorts of sellers of traditional Spring Festival products, and even a few fellow foreigners that were posing with a giant replica of the Giza Pyramids! The Chinese love this kind of festive atmosphere, and this was definitely Chinese revelry at its best!
The famous food delivery performance
Past the security gate and into the village, I saw the main event – tables! The village is one main street along a mountain river, and the tables were lined from the entrance gate all the way to the other end. Seated at the tables where some very elderly folks dressed in traditional Chinese garb, along with what seemed to be their family. I later talked to some of the tables and one man beamed with delight saying that for anyone over one hundred years old, the government provided a free meal for them and their family. Nice!
A large steamer which contains hundreds of dishes.
According to sources, this custom has hundreds of years of history and possibly dates back to the Song dynasty, over 800 years ago. Due to the village being on a river and being a local trade stop between two larger cities, many businessmen would stop in Zhongshan on their way.
During the Spring Festival, it is said that the people passing through sometimes couldn’t get home in time, so the village started welcoming the people into their homes for dinner and company. Thus, the festival grew and finally became a yearly tradition which survives today.
As recently as 2005, the festival has been supported by the government as a way to promote traditional Chinese values and culture, as well as to promote a burgeoning local tourism industry and to strengthen relationships between cities and cultures elsewhere in the world. This year, the local government partnered with tourist departments in Egypt and signed memorandums and agreements for future cooperation and cultural exchange.
Besides the festival, Zhongshan has many things worth checking out! There are fabric shops and other handicraft stores that have been making their wares for generations. Sadly, according to the shop-owners I interviewed, these handicrafts might not survive for much long, so you had better come soon if you want to see or buy them. An interesting “handicraft” to note is a rice-wine that is produced here and is high in the element selenium, which according to locals, promotes longevity.
Whether it’s rice-wine of long life, kilometer long banquets, handicrafts, or the warm-hearted villagers, Zhongshan Ancient Town is definitely worth a visit.
Related links:
A Banquet of 1-km-Long Will be Held to Celebrate the Chinese New Year
Mihuatang, More Than Sweet