Food
Like much of the rest of Hebei, dishes in Shijiazhuang are a little saltier than the nations average. Dishes here tend to be an integration of cuisines from across China. One style that is said to distinguish the Shijiazhuang cuisine, is the chefs adroit knife skills, shown in the many courses of the Hebei banquets, notably the cucumber banquet (Huanggua yanhui), and in the famous Chrysanthemum-shaped sleeve fish, which is as close as the area comes to producing its own dishes.Food Areas and Restaurants:The Yanchun Restaurant (Yanchun fandian), on Zhongshan donglu, is the best place to go for local dishes.The Yalilang Restaurant (Yalilang canting), housed in the Sunshine Hotel (Yangguang dasha jiudian) on Ping'an nandajie, serves the best Korean food in town.The Port of Fishermen Restaurant (Yurenmatou canting), at the International Trade Hotel (Shimao jiudian) on Zhongshan donglu, serves good Cantonese dishes.The Shanghai Tang Restaurant (Shanghaitang dafandian), on Guang'an jie, serves authentic Shanghai cuisine.At the Yong'an Market (Yong'an shichang), not far from the Silver Spring Hotel (Yingquan fandian) at 12 Zhanqian jie, has many restaurants and small stalls serving regional and countrywide dishes. Good for those on a budget.For those on a serious budget, or who have arrived famished after a late train, there are food stalls around the railway station.The areas around the Teacher's University (Shifan daxue), on the eastern side of town, have numerous cheap restaurants and stalls, especially on Yuhua lu and within the campus.
Shijiazhuang, although not a huge commercial center like the giants Beijing and Shanghai, still holds its own for locally produced products. The city's specialties include delicately painted snuff boxes, ceramics, origami style paper cuts (mainly of various scenes from Chinese legends and history), Liuling wine (another lethal rice wine), various white marble carvings from nearby counties and delicious pears. The city also has other products from around Hebei in its stores and stalls.The commercial center of Shijiazhuang is the street that runs just north of the railway station, in the west known as Zhongshan lu that runs into the eastern Jiefang lu. There are numerous department stores and shops along this stretch, and Saturdays sees it heaving with crowds. For something a little more local, both Ningrong jie and Yong'an jie, have various shops and stalls, good for both dining and cheap goods.Dongfang Shopping Center (Dongfang gouwu zhongxin) on Zhongshan lu, has commonly bought goods for reasonable prices.The Beiguo Shopping Center (Beiguo gouwu zhongxin) on Jiefang lu, is the largest in Shijiazhuang at five storeys high. Like the Dongfang, sells everyday products, and also some local handicrafts.The Xinhua Bookstore (Xinhua shudian) is at 13 Jiefang lu. It has some English language books, on the second floor.
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