Qiaojiao Beef Hotpot Making Technique

The qiaojiao beef hotpot craft circulates in the Suji area of Leshan's central district, arising in the village of Changchun (Zhoucun) more than a century ago as pots of offal soup set up at country fairs for resting market-goers, later developing into a herbal hotpot simmered with more than twenty medicinal herbs; it entered the Leshan municipal ICH list in 2008 and was raised to Sichuan provincial-level ICH in 2023.

The heart of the craft lies in the herbal pairing and slow simmering of the broth, using fresh beef bones and offal with more than twenty herbs and spices such as angelica, cardamom, cardamom-seed and star anise, simmered for three to five hours so the herbal fragrance enters the broth without masking the beef; the offal is added in batches with close attention to heat and the layering of texture.

The qiaojiao beef craft embodies the Sichuan idea that food and medicine share a source, along with the bustle of street life; Suji town is honoured as its first home, and the dish stands as a calling-card of Leshan food culture.