Tongli Meat Swallow Shop

The Tongli Meat Swallow Shop was founded in 1876 by the Chen family in old Fuzhou, specializing in rou yan, and has now been handed down through five generations over more than a century.

Rou yan, or 'meat swallow,' is a snack unique to Fuzhou, and Tongli is regarded as its benchmark brand. Its shop near the Three Lanes and Seven Alleys serves a taste Fuzhou families consider essential at weddings and festivals.

Following a family recipe, Tongli pounds lean meat from the pork hind leg into a paste, works it with fine sweet-potato starch, and rolls it into a paper-thin 'swallow wrapper' that is then folded around a meat filling, all by hand through an exacting series of steps.

Recognized as both a Fujian and a China Time-honored Brand, Tongli still operates in Fuzhou today.