The 4th Taizhou Gourmet Week Unlocked: Food and Yue Opera in One Go
October 4 saw the ongoing Auto Culture Week and the 4th Taizhou Gourmet Week at the Zhejiang Southeast Future Auto City. Eleven marquee car brands showcased cutting-edge automotive tech, while more than 80 stalls served up a kaleidoscope of local delicacies. With over 3,000 free parking spaces and 1,000-plus dining seats laid out, visitors could simply park, sit, and surrender to a tongue-tingling feast.
Taste-Bud Carnival! Culinary Masters Duel for the Crown
At the Gourmet Market, Run’nian Catering’s stall is already three-deep in hungry fans. With fingertip art, chefs tuck seasoned pork mince into whisper-thin wrappers, folding thumb-sized parcels that, once steamed, burst with soup at the first bite. Alongside, cray-pork pot-stickers sizzle on a hot plate, the sweetness of shellfish marrying the richness of pork in a single, crackling crust; made-to-order freshness keeps heads nodding in approval. Their shrimp-mousse balls are just as mobbed—springy nuggets that bob up in rolling broth, then dive through a house-secret dipping sauce. One mouthful and “umami max” is the only phrase that fits.
The Chaoshan beef stall—back for its third straight year—has built a die-hard fan base. “All the beef and balls are flown in from Chaoshan every morning, still tasting like home,” the vendor says, flicking beef-tendon pearls into a rolling broth. They bob up springy; one bite releases a rush of meaty aroma. Alongside them, fish balls carry the clean kiss of seawater, their lightness the perfect foil to the beef balls’ chew. Veterans of the stall order the two together—the legendary “twin-ball combo.”
The Taizhou Snacks booth is a living microcosm of hometown flavour. A pork-bone stock bubbles like a bass drum, bathing tofu pockets, dried bean curd, pork rolls, beef tendon and tripe until every pore is singing. The tofu balloons drink up the broth; springy tendon and snappy tripe trade punches between your teeth, each bite a flashback for anyone who grew up here. Add to that Chef Yang’s mirror-gloss crispy squab, Haizhijia’s snow-white, juice-dripping “white-cut” chicken, Yuhuan SuChengJi’s savoury and crisp heritage fried twists, and the crackle-skinned, silk-inside fried tofu from Baishuiyang, and you’ve got a full brass section of textures and tastes—smoke, sizzle and all—rolling out across the fair.
Nightfall Stage! Yue Opera Shows Under the Stars
When night falls, the grand ignites in a blaze of light atop the parking-deck roof, as the National-Chic Yue Opera Night kicks off. Plum-Award winner Dong Kedi joins a lineup of top-tier talents, serving up a banquet of classics under the neon sky.
Dong Kedi stepped forward with Five Daughters Pay Birthday Respects – Farewell in Tears. Every mellow, winding note brimmed with grief; subtle gestures and fleeting expressions etched the character’s sorrow into the night, drawing sighs that rippled through the crowd and bursts of heartfelt applause. Next, Tang Jiefei—director and Party secretary of the Ninghai Yue Opera Troupe—unfolded The Pearl Pagoda Has Seven Floors. Her bright, crystalline voice mapped the heroine’s shifting heart, spirit sparkling in each cadence. When she turned to the Peking-style song “Ode to Pear Blossoms”, she braided the robust resonance of Peking Opera with the lilting softness of Yue Opera, earning a thunderous ovation that shook the starlit deck.
The evening also featured excerpts such as Lantern Gazing in the Study from Fish Pursuit –, Farewell by the Lake from Liu Yi Delivers a Letter, the pop song Same Old Waves, Bestowing the Phoenix Crown from Jade Hairpin, and A Secret Letter to the Boudoir from Lord Wang Snatches a Bride. The performances wove tradition with fresh touches to showcase the diverse splendour of Yue Opera.
From palate-popping delicacies to moon-lit arias, this three-in-one gala of cars, cuisine, and culture is still roaring. Foodies or heritage fans—everyone leaves clutching their new favourite memory.
Come to Taizhou Vision Centre to start a feast for both tongue and eyes, taking home holiday moments all your own!
Translator：JingJing Shi