Roujiamo
Pork braised for hours with spices, chopped and stuffed into a crisp flatbread. A good bun has a ring on its edge and a pattern like a chrysanthemum at its centre.
Life in Mainland China
Northwest China
The Silk Road country: Xi'an, the Hexi Corridor, the high lakes of Qinghai and the oases of Xinjiang.
Play: Northwest China quizTap a place.
The land
The Northwest is the land of the Silk Road: the Wei River valley around Xi'an, the Hexi Corridor of Gansu between mountains and the Gobi, the high pastures and lakes of Qinghai, the Yellow River oasis of Ningxia, and the deserts, mountains and oases of Xinjiang.
Living there
The Xi'an area held China's capital under the Qin, Han and Tang dynasties, and the routes west began here. Its Muslim Quarter, home to the Hui, is a street of food stalls. Further west, Xinjiang's oases grow grapes, melons and cotton, and its bazaars sell naan, dried fruit and nuts.
How it sounds
Shaanxi and Gansu speak northwestern Mandarin dialects. Xinjiang is home to Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Hui, Han and many other peoples, and Uyghur and Kazakh are spoken alongside Mandarin.
What it eats
Wheat and mutton are the base: hand-pulled and belt-wide noodles, flatbreads, lamb skewers, and soups of mutton with torn bread. Cumin, chilli and garlic are the seasonings, and halal cooking of the Hui is found all over the region.
Shaanxi
The Guanzhong plain and Xi'an, a capital for over a thousand years.
- The Terracotta Army of the first emperor
- Biangbiang noodles, as wide as a belt
- The start of the Silk Road
Gansu
A long corridor of oases between mountains and desert, the Silk Road's main route west.
- The Mogao Caves at Dunhuang, painted over a thousand years
- The striped rainbow mountains of Zhangye
- The Hexi Corridor, the Silk Road's road west
Lanzhou beef noodles
Noodles pulled by hand to the thickness you order, in a clear beef broth. Lanzhou judges them by five colours: a clear broth, white radish, red chilli oil, green coriander and garlic shoots, and yellow noodles.
Qinghai
High plateau and wide lakes, where the Yangtze and the Yellow River begin.
- The sources of the Yangtze, the Yellow River and the Mekong
- Thick yoghurt from yak and cow milk, sold in bowls
- Yaks grazing on the high pastures
Qinghai yoghurt
Thick set yoghurt sold in bowls, with a skin on top, eaten with a spoonful of white sugar.
Ningxia
A green strip along the Yellow River, home to many of China's Hui Muslims.
- Hand-held mutton, boiled and eaten off the bone
- Vineyards at the foot of the Helan Mountains
- The tombs of the Western Xia kings
Hand-held mutton
Mutton on the bone boiled simply with salt, eaten with the hands and dipped in garlic and chilli.
Xinjiang
The largest division, about a sixth of China's land: deserts, oases and the Tianshan.
- Big plate chicken, a stew of chicken, potato and peppers over wide noodles
- Grapes and raisins from Turpan, one of the lowest and hottest places in China
- Nang bread baked on the walls of a clay oven
Lamb skewers
Chunks of lamb with pieces of fat between them, grilled over charcoal and shaken with cumin, chilli and salt. Sold at night markets across China.
Play
Northwest China quiz
Dishes, famous sights and capitals. Every answer comes with the story behind it.
Which place is famous for this? "Roujiamo: chopped braised pork in a crisp flatbread."
Answer
Shaanxi. Shaanxi. The Guanzhong plain and Xi'an, a capital for over a thousand years.
What is the capital of Shaanxi?
Answer
Xi'an. Xi'an. Shaanxi is also known for: the Terracotta Army of the first emperor.
Which place is famous for this? "Lanzhou beef noodles, pulled by hand to order."
Answer
Gansu. Gansu. A long corridor of oases between mountains and desert, the Silk Road's main route west.
What is the capital of Gansu?
Answer
Lanzhou. Lanzhou. Gansu is also known for: the Mogao Caves at Dunhuang, painted over a thousand years.
Which place is famous for this? "Qinghai Lake, the largest lake in China."
Answer
Qinghai. Qinghai. High plateau and wide lakes, where the Yangtze and the Yellow River begin.
What is the capital of Qinghai?
Answer
Xining. Xining. Qinghai is also known for: the sources of the Yangtze, the Yellow River and the Mekong.
Which place is famous for this? "Goji berries, grown along the Yellow River."
Answer
Ningxia. Ningxia. A green strip along the Yellow River, home to many of China's Hui Muslims.
What is the capital of Ningxia?
Answer
Yinchuan. Yinchuan. Ningxia is also known for: hand-held mutton, boiled and eaten off the bone.
Which place is famous for this? "Lamb skewers grilled over charcoal with cumin and chilli."
Answer
Xinjiang. Xinjiang. The largest division, about a sixth of China's land: deserts, oases and the Tianshan.
What is the capital of Xinjiang?
Answer
Urumqi. Urumqi. Xinjiang is also known for: big plate chicken, a stew of chicken, potato and peppers over wide noodles.