Foreign visitors taste the delicacies of Tianjin's ancient town

In the bustling streets of Yangliuqing Ancient Town in Tianjin, master Zhang skillfully pours boiling water into a small bowl, containing red sorghum flour and millet flour, then sprinkles it with red sugar, sesame seeds, raisins, and peanut crumbs and other toppings, presenting a bowl of fragrant chatang, or tea soup.

Ahmed Mohamed Saleh from Egypt couldn't wait to take a sip, his face lighting up with surprise.

"It tastes warm and sweet. I notice there's no tea in it. Why is it called tea soup then?"

"Tea soup originated in the late Ming Dynasty. Because it was made by boiling water, similar to brewing tea, it was named chatang. It's especially comforting in winter, quickly warming up the body," Zhang said.

Hassan Sameh Hassan Elsayed, also an Egyptian student, tasted the Sutang (crispy candy) nearby and then bought two boxes to send home.

Xu Liansen, the third-generation inheritor of Xu's Crispy Candy, said his workshop attracted a large number of tourists to stop by and taste the candies during the Spring Festival holiday, with nearly 10 percent purchased by foreign tourists like Elsayed.

During the Spring Festival, Yangliuqing Ancient Town hosted over 500 various performances and interactive activities, averaging more than 70 per day.

According to data from the Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, during the Year of the Horse Spring Festival, Tianjin received 11.7 percent more tourists than last year, and the hotel holiday revenue increased by 9.4 percent.

Ma Yucong and Chen Yijun contributed to this story.