Originated from Mengzi County in south Yunnan more than 100 years ago, the Cross-Bridge Rice Noodles is a famous classic cuisine of Kunming. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]

A classic example of this is Kunming's famous Cross-Bridge Rice Noodles (Guo Qiao Mi Xian), which originated from Mengzi County in south Yunnan more than 100 years ago.

According to folklore, a young man studied very hard and isolated himself from the city in an obscure spot to prepare for the imperial examination. His caring wife would bring him his meals daily, crossing a bridge on the way. Unfortunately, his meals would often turn cold by the time it reached him. Then one day, the wife accidentally discovered that a bowl of chicken soup would stay warm with a layer of oil on top. This way she was able to bring her husband hot noodles with meat slices and other ingredients cooked upon serving in the hot soup. Her husband now enjoyed a hot, freshly cooked lunch everyday. Later the young man passed the examination and became a renowned scholar. He said he owed his achievement to his wife and her cooking and named the rice noodles "Cross-Bridge Rice Noodles", to commemorate her love and dedication.

Nowadays, "Cross-Bridge Rice Noodles" has become a very famous dish in Yunnan and is enjoyed by both domestic and overseas visitors. David Campbell from the United States has been in Kunming for only two days but has already ordered the Rice Noodles for the third time.

The essence of Cross-Bridge Rice Noodles is the chicken broth. The best and most authentic broth is made with the bones of mature chickens and ducks, and young pigs. The ingredients should be boiled for at least six or seven hours to allow all their nutrients and flavor to be absorbed into the soup. When that's done, remove the bones and you have the base for Cross-Bridge Rice Noodles.