Food plays an outsized role in Chinese culture, and among different Chinese foods, noodles may be the most loved. Over millennia of noodle consumption in China, noodles have evolved into countless shapes, sizes, and textures and been prepared with different seasonings and pairings. The type of noodle consumed in China differs from region to region. People in wheat growing areas prefer wheat noodles, while those in rice growing areas favor rice noodles. Moreover, different parts of the country have their own signature noodle dishes. There are likely thousands of these noodle dishes—each using different types of noodles, sauces, seasonings, and flavors. Thus, noodles in certain ways reflect regional differences, tastes, social habits, and even identity. They serve as comfort foods that people grow up with and by which they remember their hometowns. The following is a representative sample of Chinese people’s favorite noodle dishes—from north to south.

Beijing Zhajiangmian (北京炸酱面, aka fried-sauce noodles) is popular all over northern China. Zhajiangmian is a humble dish (feature image). It uses a thick, fermented soybean paste, together with a bit of minced pork-belly, to make the sauce. After stir-frying, the sauce becomes so rich and flavorful that only a small amount is needed for a whole bowl of noodles, hence the name fried-sauce noodles. In Beijing, the noodles are often paired with some seasonal vegetables. Although the dish is native to China, it has been embraced by Koreans for a long time. Known as ja jang myun, the dish can be found in restaurants all across Korea.  

Shanxi Province (山西省) is the home of Daoxiaomian (刀削面, aka shaved noodles). After the flour is kneaded, it is shaped into a long, big lump of dough and then shaved with a special knife (photo below) into willow-leaf shaped noodles into boiling water. After being cooked, the noodles are soaked in cold water to make them chewier. The noodles, now popular all over China, can be paired with different ingredients and seasonings, and in soup or stir-fried. What attracts most people to this dish is the noodles’ al dente texture.