Food
Knife-pared Noodles
Knife-pared noodles (Daoxiao mian) is actually more an exotic art form than
a local specialty. You should try and get a chance to see the process of how
it is made--rather than stretching or cutting the dough into long thin threads,
a local noodle maker pares it with an oddly shaped knife and the pared pieces
plunge right into the boiling water that is steaming beneath the chef.
Shaomai
Shaomai is a traditional Shanxi specialty, although today you will find it in
quite a number of cities throughout China. It is fairly easy to make--put the
stuffing (rice mixed with small diced meat and mushrooms) on a dough sheet that
is about three inches by three inches. The sheet is then wrapped up and pinched
into a bag shape, then steamed in the traditional Chinese steamers.Legend has
it that after tasting this specialty, Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1368-1644
AD) became so delighted that he sent a board bearing his handwriting in praise
of it.
Taiyuan Mutton Soup
Taiyuan mutton soup (Taiyuan tounao) is a unique Taiyuan specialty that is had
for breakfast. The soup is made with three pieces of fatty mutton, one piece
of lotus root and another piece of yam. Local people often have the soup with
a kind of baked bread.
Shops and shopping areas:On Qiaotou jie, you may find shops selling the local costumes for traditional Chinese operas (including the local Jin Opera).At night, you may go to the night market on Liuxiang nanlu to hunt for some interesting trinkets at reasonable prices.At the Friendship Store (Youyi shangdian) at 45 Yingze dajie you may find an expensive collection of jade handicrafts and art materials of good quality.You may go hunting for souvenirs at both the Arts and Crafts Store (Gongyi pin shangdian) at 54 Yingze dajie or at the Antique Store (Guwan shangdian) at 15 Jiefang lu.
Taiyuan boasts a good number of discotheques and nightclubs (Chinatown at 49 Bingzhou beilu is recommended by foreigners) and these draw crowds of locals at night, especially on the weekends. There are also a number of bars scattered about, many of them on the long main street Yingze dajie, although these are often of the karaoke and theme pub variety.If you are after something a little more authentic, there is still much local culture left in this rapidly modernising city. Besides the obvious visits to tea houses and the older sections of town, one of the best traditional entertainments to be enjoyed is the regional Jin Opera (Jin ju). The best venue for this is at the Shanxi Jin Opera Troupe Theater (Shanxi jinju tuan) at 8 Xinjian nanlu. Call CITS (Tel: 0351-7042125) to check the latest perfomance schedules. If you have no time, patience or money for this, then heading to Yingze Park (Yingze gongyuan), that runs along Yingze dajie and Jiefang lu, to listen to the mostly old, amateur or retired singers, who screech/chant/sing their favourite acts.