Qindu Town is located in the eastern part of Enyi District, Xi'an City, close to the west bank of the Feng River, also known as "Qin Town". Mipi is the golden sign of Qinzhen, known for its tendons, thinness, thinness and softness, and is called the "Three Major Pasta dishes in Guanzhong" along with qianxian pot helmets and Qishan zhenzi noodles. On May 11, 2007, Qinzhen rice skin making technology was included in the first batch of intangible cultural heritage list of Shaanxi Province, and on June 13, 2008, Qinzhen rice skin making technology was included in the first batch of intangible cultural heritage list of Xi'an City.
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Qinzhen rice peels are made from rice on the west bank of the Feng River, and the specific processes include soaking rice, refining and steaming. Finally, cut the rice peel into thin strips with a large knife weighing about ten pounds, mix it with condiments such as special chili oil, balsamic vinegar and salt, and add side dishes such as cucumber shreds, celery and bean sprouts. The skin is thin and soft, the color is white and smooth, the white is transparent and red, the red is fragrant, and it is sour and spicy to eat, which makes people feel very refreshing. Because rice peel is usually a cold food, it is also called "cool skin".
At noon on November 13, 2021, my family and I came to Qindu Town, and the roadside was full of shops selling rice peels and oil cakes. In an internet celebrity shop called "Qinzhen First Taste" on the south side of the highway, after eating rice skins, oil cakes and meat sandwich buns, we walked into the old streets of Qindu Town. From north to south, through the streets and alleys, you can see many old shops in Qinzhen Mipi, all of which call their shops "centuries-old brands".
During the Western Zhou Dynasty, the place where Qindu Town was located was Fengjing, and the capital was built here after king Wen of Zhou fought and chongguo. In the third year of the Later Qin Dynasty (401), Emperor Yao Xing led the Wenwu hundred officials to leave Chang'an City and go to the Caotang Temple in the southern suburbs to listen to the teachings of Kumarosh. When passing through here, a ferry port is set up here, called "Qindu". Since then, Qindu has become a major transportation route in the southwest of Chang'an City, also known as "Qindujin". In the first year of Xuande of the Ming Dynasty (1426), it was officially renamed Qindu Town.
Walking about 600 meters south along the old street of Qindu Town, the west side is located xue de quan mi pi main store and Lu jia mi pi old shop, adjacent to the north and south, the business is very good. Although it is past the time of lunch, the two stores are still very lively, and there is a long queue in front of the old Lujia Mipi store. It can be seen that many people come to Qindu Town just to eat an authentic Qinzhen rice peel here. Perhaps, in the eyes of the locals, after leaving Qindu Town, the rice peels in other parts of Shaanxi are not delicious.
According to legend, Qinzhen Mipi was first founded in the Qin Dynasty and has a history of more than 2,000 years. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, shops specializing in selling rice peels began to appear in Qinzhen, which can be traced back to the Shang family in Qinzhen South Street. Later, the Shan family in the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty, the Zhao family and the Yang family in the West Street of the Guangxu period, and the Xue family in the North Street of the Republic of China period have risen, and after more than 200 years of development, the name of Qin Town Mipi has shocked the Three Qins.
According to legend, during the reign of Qin Shi Huang, a major drought occurred in the Guanzhong region of Shaanxi. The Feng River was short of water, the rice withered, and farmers had to dig wells in the fields to water the land. The grain laid was all barnyard barnyard, and the quality of the rice milled was too poor for the peasants to offer to the court. At that time, there was a man named Li XII who crushed rice into rice flour, steamed out the rice skin, and offered it to Qin Shi Huang. After Qin Shi Huang ate it, he felt very fond of it, so he ordered that the annual tribute here should only be rice skins.
It is said that Li XII died on the twenty-third day of the first lunar month of a certain year. In order to commemorate Li XII, the locals always steamed some rice peels on this day, and this technique of making rice peels continues to this day. Today, in the old streets of Qindu Town, you can still see many old shops specializing in making rice leather utensils and spices.
In 2018, Xi'an High-tech Zone began to host the streets of Qindu Town, Enyi District. On December 18, 2018, the Qinzhen shop group was announced by the Xi'an Municipal People's Government as a municipal cultural relics protection unit. In the future, the shops and rice skin making skills of Qindu Town will be protected, so that this thousand-year-old town will continue to shine in a new era.