The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup ceremony raised the curtain on Friday. This year, the FIBA is taking place in eight Chinese cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Foshan, Shenzhen and Dongguan – from August 31 to September 15.

Apart from the exciting events, the food at each destination is also very attractive. CGTN picked the iconic dish and snacks of the eight cities. Let's take a bite together of the first four dishes together.

Beijing – Roasted duck

Roast duck is a world-famous dish in Beijing. Originating in the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589), roasted duck was once a dish reserved for royalty only, but it has become an iconic dish in Beijing.

During the reign of Jia Jing (1522-1566), the roasted duck was spread from the palace to the people. The old "Bian Yi Fang" roast duck restaurant was opened in Mishi Hutong, which was also the first roast duck shop in Beijing.

In 1864, “Quan Ju De,” now the most famous roast duck restaurant in Beijing, was opened.

Shanghai – Pan-fried Pork Buns

Pan-fried pork buns (sheng jian bao) is a traditional snack that's popular in Shanghai.

Shanghai pan-fried pork buns’ bottoms are fried until golden, and the tops are sprinkled with sesame seeds and chives. They not only smell great, but contain mouthfuls of soup inside.

More than 100 years ago, tea houses in Shanghai offer the pan fried pork buns with tea, but when people did not drink tea, they wanted to take the buns home for dinner. To meet customer demand, pan-fried pork buns went out of the tea house and became the "street food" of today.

Nanjing – Duck blood soup with vermicelli

Duck blood vermicelli soup is a famous specialty in Nanjing.

It is one of the famous dishes featuring duck. With a history of more than 1,400 years, the dish is made with old duck soup, duck blood, duck intestines, duck liver, duck gizzard and vermicelli.

Legend has it that a man in Nanjing killed a duck with its blood in a bowl, only to find that vermicelli had fallen into it. Helpless, he had to cook the vermicelli and duck blood.

Now the dish is a must-have for visitors to Nanjing and is also loved by locals.

Wuhan – Hot dry noodles

Hot dry noodles are one of the top 10 noodle dishes in China and one of the most famous snacks in Wuhan, Hubei province. 

The dish is the preferred breakfast for Wuhan locals and is believed to provide plenty of energy for the upcoming day. 

Originating in the early 1930s, hot dry noodles are usually cooked with sesame paste, salad oil, sesame oil, chives, garlic, spicy diced radish, brine juice and light soy sauce.

In February 2014, Wuhan hot dry noodles were officially declared a national intangible cultural heritage along with the Chongqing hotpot.

( Top image designer: Qu Bo)