Hualong's lamian makers use noodle to escape poverty

Hualong lamian has common standards: The clear broth should be made from marinading cow bones for more than four hours, noodles should be served with thin slices of white radish, and the dish should use local hot pepper as its seasoning.[Photo/Xinhua]

Hualong, a remote county in Northwest China's Qinghai province, may be little known to outsiders, but its lamian, or hand-pulled noodles, enjoy nationwide fame.

Most people in Hualong, with a total population of 286,000, lived below the poverty line until the beginning of a wave of migrations to other Chinese cities to open lamian restaurants.

Now more than a third of Hualong's registered population are in the lamian business, working in hundreds of cities across China, said Ma Qianli, deputy head of the county government.

These restaurants' annual revenues totalled 6.2 billion yuan ($about 950 million) last year, with profits of more than 1.8 billion yuan, he added.

Though flavors may vary according to location, Hualong lamian has common standards: The clear broth should be made from marinading cow bones for more than four hours, noodles should be served with thin slices of white radish, and the dish should use local hot pepper as its seasoning.

Lamian dishes have become a desirable fast food for city folk.