Traditional dried noodles in Sichuan province

A man dries noodles in Zhongjiang county, Southwest China's Sichuan province, May 3, 2012. Zhongjiang dried noodle, purely handmade, can be traced back to ancient China's Song Dynasty (960-1297). It is well known in China as it is as thin as hair and tastes as tender as bean curd. The humid weather of Sichuan province only leaves five months to local noodle makers every year to produce the dried noodles. During the production season, noodle-makers, starting from early morning, strictly follow 18 traditional processes which usually take at least 18 consecutive hours, and will not fully finish until late night. In 2010, the making skills of Zhongjiang dried noodle was enlisted as intangible cultural heritage of Sichuan province. [Photo/Xinhua]