After the rulers of the Qing Dynasty took over the Central Plains, they went through the rule of Shunzhi, Kangxi, and Yongzheng. By the time of Qianlong, the government was stable, the society was stable, the economy was prosperous, and the Republic of China was peaceful, known as the "Prosperous Age." Qianlong was an arrogant and indulgent man. He reigned for 61 years. After long-term peace and stability, he began to visit the south of the Yangtze River six times. On the surface, he was to observe the people's sentiments, but in fact, he was to eat, drink and have fun. However, Qianlong's southern tour also inadvertently promoted Jiangnan and Zhejiang cuisines. Its development has created many famous dishes.

Songjiang four-gill bass is a famous dish in history. During his southern tour, Qianlong visited Songjiang Prefecture twice to taste the delicious sea bass. He was so impressed that he ordered Songjiang to pay tribute to the imperial court every year. During Qianlong's third visit to the south of the Yangtze River, he ate at a snack bar in Wuxi where he ate a rice cracker topped with shrimp, cooked shredded chicken, and a thick sauce made from chicken broth. . Since then, this dish has become worth hundreds of times and is known as "the best dish in the world".

There are records in unofficial history that Qianlong once changed his name to Gao Tianxi, took his bodyguard Guan Laoxi, wore Tsing Yi and a small hat, and went to Suzhou Songhelou Restaurant for dinner. He was very satisfied with the "squirrel fish" dish. After the two finished eating, they turned around and left without paying a penny. They were grabbed by the waiter, and the two started fighting. Afterwards, the Suzhou government intervened to mediate, and only then did they realize that Gao Tianxi, who was causing trouble in Songhe Tower, was Emperor Qianlong. From then on, he became a "squirrel fish". It is famous all over the world and has become a famous dish in Suzhou.

At that time, Kangxi and Qianlong visited the south many times, and the people had to prepare "imperial meals", which cost a lot of money, material and manpower. But on the other hand, Jiangnan cooking industry has indeed achieved great development and improvement after this kind of review and competition.

Qianlong was very fond of eating and drinking, and he especially liked southern food. During the southern tour, high-level local officials such as governors, governors, and magistrates, as well as wealthy merchants, greeted him ceremoniously. They all made exquisite meals, invited favors, and won the favor of the emperor. A number of famous chefs, gourmets and cooking masterpieces emerged. Especially the Suyang famous dishes and pastries we eat today were almost all finalized at this time.

Now in the archives of the "Imperial Tea Dining Room" of the Qing Dynasty Internal Affairs Office in the museum, there is a "Jiangnan Festival as usual meal stall" which records the routes traveled by Emperor Qianlong during his thirty-year southern tour. Invoices for the palace and meals. Among a large number of "dragon and phoenix dishes", what is particularly eye-catching are the local dishes presented by dignitaries. For example, on February 15th, at Daying Pier in Chongjiawan, Governor Yin Jishan served shredded pork stuffing, Smoked bamboo shoots, smoked cabbage, pickled cauliflower, fried gluten, ham, etc. On the twenty-seventh day of the first lunar month, I went to the Yanzi Temple to stay. The manager, Ma Guoyong, made fried wild duck meatballs, stewed tofu and so on.

In fact, during Qianlong's southern tour, in addition to dining with local officials, he also ate a lot of delicious glycerin among the people. For example, "Qing Yu Lei Chao" recorded that Qianlong ate vegetarian meals during his southern tour. Anecdotal information: Qianlong once went to Tianning Temple in Yangzhou, and the abbot asked him to eat vegetarian food. Qianlong was very satisfied with the meal and said to the main monk: "Vegetarian food is very delicious, and it is far better than deer breasts and bear paws!" There is other information. According to records, there was a monk named Wensi in an ancient temple in Yangzhou who was good at making various tofu dishes, especially the tofu soup he made with tender tofu, daylily, fungus and other raw materials. It was delicious and was praised by Qianlong. He once called "Wensi Tofu" Included in the palace menu.

A palm-sized piece of dried incense can be cut into pieces as thin as cicada silk, rolled into rolls, and folded like paper. This is the famous Yongfeng five-flavored dried incense in southern China. When Qianlong went to the south of the Yangtze River and came to Yongfeng Town, the owner of Yongfeng Hotel was flattered and asked Qianlong what he wanted to eat. Qianlong was used to eating delicacies from the mountains and seas and didn't want to eat anymore. He just asked the owner what local products he had. The shopkeeper was busy offering homemade dried incense. Qianlong took a piece of dried fragrant sticks and put it into his mouth. It had all five flavors: salty, spicy, fragrant, sweet and fresh. Qianlong was full of praise and asked to bring more back to the capital. Since then, "Yongfeng Five-flavor Dried Fragrance" has not only become a delicacy and treasure on the table of ordinary people, but also a tribute.

It is said that Qianlong ate the spinach-roasted tofu made by a peasant woman in Zhenjiang, which was called "jade rice with gold inlay and green parrots with red beaks." Qianlong went to the mountains on the same day and tasted this delicious delicacy. The delicious flavor made her mouth feel fragrant, so she named the peasant woman "Huang Gu". This dish is also called "Huang Gu Cuisine".

"The Unofficial History of the Qing Dynasty" writes about a Suzhou native named Zhang Dongguan, who was originally the official chef of Zhizaofu in Suzhou. During one of his tours to the south, Qianlong ate the stir-fried chicken with winter bamboo shoots made by him. He was full of praise and rewarded him with a silver coin on the spot. Later, he was brought into the palace to be the royal chef, and he was honored among all the nine tribes.

The fame of Yangzhou dried silk, a famous Yangzhou dish, is said to be related to Qianlong’s southern tour.

At that time, in order to prepare for the "reception ceremony", Yangzhou officials and salt merchants hired many famous chefs to compete for new and beautiful dishes, all trying to introduce delicacies that would impress the crowd. Among them is the "Nine Silk Soup", which uses nine kinds of delicacies such as dried tofu, ham, and chicken, cut into thin shreds, and then simmered in chicken soup, allowing all kinds of fresh flavors to be absorbed into the dried tofu shreds. Qianlong used two plates in a row and praised it. He came to Yangzhou to order this dish on several southern tours. From then on, the "Nine Silk Soup" was renamed Yangzhou Dried Silk and became famous throughout the country.

It should be admitted that Qianlong's visit to the south of the Yangtze River gave various famous dishes in various places in the south of the Yangtze River their own characteristics, and then gangs such as Nanjing, Yangzhou, Zhenjiang, Wuxi, and Suzhou were formed. "Qing Bai Lei Chao" writes: The cuisine has its own characteristics, such as the cuisines of Beijing, Shandong, Sichuan, Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangning, Suzhou, and Huai'an. By then, the Chinese cuisines were basically established. Thirdly, it increased the popularity of Suyang cuisine. For example, there is a restaurant in Beijing called "Gusu Zhimizhai" which was opened by a famous Suzhou chef during the Qianlong period. In addition, Qianlong's southern tour also promoted a great exchange of cooking skills between northern and southern chefs, and they learned from each other's strengths. For example, Beijing cuisine and palace cuisine absorbed a large amount of Suyang cuisine and also incorporated the exquisite production characteristics of palace cuisine. Therefore, Qianlong's southern tour played a positive role in revitalizing Jiangnan cuisine.