China: Only Slightly Bigger than My Appetite

Shanghai's got a TIME MACHINE.

It’s located specifically in one of Shanghai’s copious satellite towns: Nanxiang (??). Here, in this otherwise sleepy suburb, you’ll travel through time and space to the birthplace of xiaolongbao (read with a "sh" sound for the "x"). Here, where they celebrate the myriad genius of our ancestors by cooking dumplings in a bamboo steamer, you’ll be transported to the China of story.

Nanxiang is located in Shanghai’s northwest district, accessible via metro line 11 at the stop of the same name. Though it spans only a few blocks, Old Town Nanxiang packs quite the cultural punch. From the station, head northwest to reach Shengchan Street parallel a small river.

Traverse a small stone bridge to enter a different world.

Truly, worlds apart is ???? (Nanxiang Old Street). Don’t be surprised if you experience sensory overload. Amidst the mishmash crowd of visitors, vendors, stores, and stalls, you’ll share Nanxiang with entire families — grandma and grandpa leading the way — as well as couples, kids, and even a few tourists.

Nanxiang’s stone streets lined with old-style wooden buildings will lead you to two twin pagodas. Here you’ll see a curious scene: visitors have taken to tossing coins at the tiered towers. Managing to land a coin on the highest level brings the largest reward of luck. Believe what you will about fortune or fate, but in China you work for it.

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The flyweight champion of lunch foods, the perfect bite every bite, Nanxiang's xiaolongbao are so good, you traveled 1.5 hours on a crowded subway just to have a taste. You want them. Bad. You might even need them.

If you haven’t already been schooled in the art of steamed dumpling eating, consider this your initiation. Bite a small hole in the dough, drink the hot broth inside, dip in vinegar and chili, eat in one bite. Repeat. Eat two or three plain, then dip the rest in a small saucer of black rice vinegar. This unassuming, devilishly dark, fermented liquid is key.

Generalizations don’t suit xiaolongbao. Every restaurant in Shanghai makes the classic dish slightly differently and all claim to cook the best. The Nanxiang version tends to have a thicker dough and simple pork filling. No frills or overpowering flavors, just the right amount of savory, sweet, and sour.

Though the city pulls you in with its undeniable gravity, the world does not revolve around Shanghai. Typical tourists can orbit around The Bund; you'll venture to the sticks, chopsticks in hand.