This week’s lead · Food
Ten dishes, ranked by what people in China search for, post about and order — with the Chinese name to point at.
Our answer
Hot pot is the dish most often named as China’s most popular meal, followed closely by dumplings and noodles. What people eat day to day is regional: rice dominates the south, wheat noodles and buns the north, and chilli-heavy dishes…
Ask the desk · 问一下
Every answer carries a verdict, its sources and the date we last checked it.
Readers asked this week: Do you need a visa for China? · What is the most popular sport in China? · What do Chinese people eat for breakfast? · What is the best eSIM for China?
Big online fandom, limited mainstream presence
Score 68 · Checked 19 Oct
Most watched and played (illustrative)
Checked 19 Oct
Link a foreign card; cash must still be accepted
Checked 23 Oct
50 countries visa-free for 30 days; US citizens need transit, Hainan or a visa
Checked 22 Oct
Dish of the week
A crêpe of mung-bean batter, egg, a crisp cracker and sweet bean sauce, folded in under two minutes at a street cart. Breakfast in Tianjin and Beijing.
The food guides
Ranking · 10 entries
Ranking · 6 items
Field guide · 5 entries
Guide · 5 entries
Four things to sort out at home, in this order. Each guide shows the date we last checked it against the official source.
1
01
Hangzhou’s green tea, sold loose by the gram. Buy it in tins.
Hangzhou · ¥80–300 / 50 g illus.
02
Hand-painted cups from China’s porcelain capital, far cheaper at the source.
Jiangxi · ¥30–200 a cup illus.
03
The milk candy every Chinese family knows; light, sealed, easy to gift.
Shanghai · ¥10–25 illus.
04
Domestic brands are growing fast and usually cost less in China.
Nationwide · ¥60–300 illus.
Newsletter · Free · Every Thursday
What China is eating, buying and doing this week, in five minutes.
In this week’s issue
