Travel China through its hot pots.
Start with one shared meal. Learn the broth, order with confidence, and use hot pot to understand the city around the table.
China hot pot guides, checked against linked sources
What is Chinese hot pot?
Chinese hot pot is a shared meal where diners cook meat, vegetables, noodles and tofu in a simmering broth at the table. The broth, ingredients, dipping sauce and pace change from city to city.
Chongqing: the first hot pot city
Follow one practical night: choose a branch, order a controlled first round, then walk through the old streets and river lights.
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Six cities, six hot-pot traditions
Save a city guide, a restaurant and a phrase card. The first version of your trip should be useful before it is ambitious.
Chongqing
Treat the mountain city as a moving experience: hotpot, slopes, river air and layered night lights.
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Chengdu
Start with tea and skewers, then slow down and turn Chengdu ease into a full day.
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Beijing
A clear-broth route that shows how northern hot pot differs from Sichuan styles.
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Chaozhou · Shantou
A beef-first trip where the cut, timing and dipping sauce matter more than heat.
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Guiyang
A fermented broth journey: taste tomato-red sour soup, learn its regional roots and order around the tang.
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Kunming
A seasonal mushroom meal with clear safety steps and a menu that changes through the rainy season.
View city guide ↗Practical guides for the first meal
Make it a trip
Save a city guide, a restaurant and a phrase card. The first version of your trip should be useful before it is ambitious.
Restaurant prices, opening hours and branches change. We show a last-verified date and link to the current map or official source wherever a fact can change.