Tongcheng water bowl, also known as Tongcheng water mat, is a famous brand food in Tongcheng, Anhui Province. "Water bowl" is a kind of soup food. Dishes can't be served, they must be served in large bowls of coarse porcelain and blue and white. The "water bowl" can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty. According to legend, He Ruchong, the prime minister of the Ming Dynasty, made a lot of contributions. The emperor asked him: What reward do you want? He Ruchong answered: Why not build a canal to irrigate farmland for my hometown Tongcheng? At first, the emperor hesitated a little, but in the end, he was allowed to read his merits.

The following year, the emperor went down to the south of the Yangtze River and passed through Tongcheng. He was very proud when he saw the bright running water rushing into the dry farmland. The local people are even more grateful to learn that the emperor is here. I thought the emperor would take it out when he came, but there was nothing good in the countryside, so I put lean pork liver and sweet potato powder in a pot and stewed them with eggs, mushrooms and other ingredients, and then put them in a big bowl of blue flowers. The emperor tasted it, fresh and smooth, oily but not greasy, and asked happily, why is this dish? They patted their heads and replied, this is a "water bowl". Hence its name: "Tongcheng Water Bowl".

After continuous innovation and improvement by later generations, it has become a famous local dish with exquisite craftsmanship and rich patterns in Xian Yi and Xian Yi, and is famous both inside and outside the province.