The 2025 China's Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Wheaten Food Carnival and Shanxi Intangible Heritage Summer Consumption Season kicked off on July 30 in Datong city, Shanxi province.

Lasting a month, the event features activities that integrate intangible heritage into modern life, with themed markets, a wheaten food experience week, exhibitions, and study tours.

Visitors sample a variety of wheaten cuisines. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

In the wheaten food tasting area, delicacies like Osmanthus Yuanxiao, millet cold cake, Lyudagun (a kind of Beijing pastry), and Mahua (a kind of fried wheaten snack) from Shanxi, Beijing, and Tianjin have attracted a large number of visitors. At a wheaten food championship, contestants fiercely compete, impressing judges with their exquisite techniques and delicious cuisines.

In front of the Datong knife-cut noodle booth, curious visitors gather as a staff member recounts the history of knife-cut noodles, saying that "the noodles are said to have been created by Chai Shao, a general in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). He often fought in battles, and lacked proper kitchen tools on the battlefields, so he tried making noodles with a knife, a tradition that continues to this day..." Among the crowd, a voice exclaims, "I never knew knife-cut noodles had such a history!"

At the event, diners express joy, awe, and curiosity, while chefs fry, steam, and serve dishes. Folk performances are also staged throughout the event, igniting the summer passion of this ancient city.