Beijing snacks prove popular during summer vacation

As the summer season heats up, Beijing's dining scene is experiencing a boom, with a significant increase in customer traffic and revenue at numerous restaurants, and some unique cuisines witnessing overwhelming demand.

Data from China Central Television News shows that orders for Beijing specialty snacks and fast food like doufunao (bean curd jelly) and douzhi (mung bean milk) have surged by 85 percent year-on-year this month.

Douzhi is not only distinguished by its special odor, but also for its long and glorious history dating back to the Liao and Jin dynasties (916-1234). Traditionally, it's often served with crispy fried loops (jiao quan) and a small amount of pickle.

"Since July 5, foot traffic has noticeably increased," said Guo Yongzhen, the manager of a douzhi brand in Beijing. "Currently, we serve around 4,000 customers daily, with approximately 80 percent being tourists from outside the city. The daily sales of douzhi range from 3,000 to 4,000 bowls."

At a douzhi shop on Qianmen Street, a renowned commercial area in the capital, queues have been forming as early as 9 am.

According to the shop, many people line up before 5 am. To accommodate the surge in customers, operating hours have been extended by two hours daily, and the number of staff has increased by 20 percent.

Tourists primarily try douzhi out of curiosity to experience its renowned "challenging" taste, widely discussed across social media platforms. The hashtag "Beijing Douzhi" has accumulated more than 1.75 billion views on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, while the hashtag "Douzhi Challenge" has 390 million views.

Opinions on its taste vary greatly.

"I think it's fine for me, just like the pickled vegetables in my hometown," said Wei Zhiming, a traveler from Hebei province. "And this kind of fermented food is good for your health."

However, another visitor from Hebei, surnamed Wan, found it unacceptable, saying,"It's sour and astringent, and I could only drink a few sips."

The manager of a popular douzhi chain shop, surnamed Jia, said,"Despite being a neighborhood shop, we attract visitors from all over, and many find the taste quite challenging."

To cater to visitor preferences, the chain has introduced a new product — douzhi ice cream — which has become a bestseller.

Apart from douzhi, Peking duck remains a quintessential Beijing delicacy. At a Peking duck restaurant in Wangfujing, all 180 tables in the five-story establishment were occupied by eager diners by early afternoon.

The restaurant's management said private dining rooms have been fully booked over 10 days in advance since the start of summer vacation, with most reservations made three to five days earlier than usual.

Liu Qingfei, the restaurant manager at a renowned Peking duck brand in Wangfujing, said: "We serve over 200 portions of Peking duck daily, with queues exceeding two hours during the summer. Before the summer season, the average wait time was half an hour."

Li Boyu contributed to this story.

dujuan@chinadaily.com.cn