* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Country music legend rushed to hospital year after heart surgery. Here’s what we know – PennLive.com

    Country Music Legend Rushed to Hospital One Year After Heart Surgery – What’s Happening Now?

    Strictly Come Dancing results: Chris Robshaw is eliminated while drag queen La Voix escapes dance-off – Yahoo

    Strictly Come Dancing results: Chris Robshaw is eliminated while drag queen La Voix escapes dance-off – Yahoo

    Placer County town of Loomis considers entertainment zone for downtown – CBS News

    Loomis Unveils Thrilling New Entertainment Zone to Revitalize Downtown

    CT Culture Corner: Robert Redford films to watch – CT Insider

    CT Culture Corner: Robert Redford films to watch – CT Insider

    Elmira’s New Entertainment Venue ‘Centertown Social’ Adding its Final Touches – WENY News

    Elmira’s New Entertainment Venue ‘Centertown Social’ Adding its Final Touches – WENY News

    Bella Thorne Shows Off Her Toned Abs in Crop Top – Yahoo

    Bella Thorne Shows Off Her Toned Abs in a Chic Crop Top

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    3 E Network Technology Group Limited Closes $1.5 Million Convertible Promissory Note Offering – Quiver Quantitative

    3 E Network Technology Group Limited Closes $1.5 Million Convertible Promissory Note Offering – Quiver Quantitative

    3 Technology Stocks to Buy Now – Yahoo Finance

    3 Must-Buy Tech Stocks You Can’t Afford to Miss Right Now

    ‘New frontier’: Austin leaders start discussions on air taxi technology – KXAN Austin

    Austin Leaders Ignite Exciting Conversations on the Future of Air Taxi Technology

    How a Gemma model helped discover a new potential cancer therapy pathway – blog.google

    How a Gemma Model Revealed a Breakthrough Pathway for Cancer Treatment

    Italian Technology in Manufacturing: Supporting North American Industries and Keeping Production Local – Thomasnet

    How Italian Technology is Revolutionizing North American Manufacturing and Boosting Local Production

    Guide to Proteomics Project Planning: Sample Preparation Strategies – Technology Networks

    Guide to Proteomics Project Planning: Sample Preparation Strategies – Technology Networks

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Country music legend rushed to hospital year after heart surgery. Here’s what we know – PennLive.com

    Country Music Legend Rushed to Hospital One Year After Heart Surgery – What’s Happening Now?

    Strictly Come Dancing results: Chris Robshaw is eliminated while drag queen La Voix escapes dance-off – Yahoo

    Strictly Come Dancing results: Chris Robshaw is eliminated while drag queen La Voix escapes dance-off – Yahoo

    Placer County town of Loomis considers entertainment zone for downtown – CBS News

    Loomis Unveils Thrilling New Entertainment Zone to Revitalize Downtown

    CT Culture Corner: Robert Redford films to watch – CT Insider

    CT Culture Corner: Robert Redford films to watch – CT Insider

    Elmira’s New Entertainment Venue ‘Centertown Social’ Adding its Final Touches – WENY News

    Elmira’s New Entertainment Venue ‘Centertown Social’ Adding its Final Touches – WENY News

    Bella Thorne Shows Off Her Toned Abs in Crop Top – Yahoo

    Bella Thorne Shows Off Her Toned Abs in a Chic Crop Top

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    3 E Network Technology Group Limited Closes $1.5 Million Convertible Promissory Note Offering – Quiver Quantitative

    3 E Network Technology Group Limited Closes $1.5 Million Convertible Promissory Note Offering – Quiver Quantitative

    3 Technology Stocks to Buy Now – Yahoo Finance

    3 Must-Buy Tech Stocks You Can’t Afford to Miss Right Now

    ‘New frontier’: Austin leaders start discussions on air taxi technology – KXAN Austin

    Austin Leaders Ignite Exciting Conversations on the Future of Air Taxi Technology

    How a Gemma model helped discover a new potential cancer therapy pathway – blog.google

    How a Gemma Model Revealed a Breakthrough Pathway for Cancer Treatment

    Italian Technology in Manufacturing: Supporting North American Industries and Keeping Production Local – Thomasnet

    How Italian Technology is Revolutionizing North American Manufacturing and Boosting Local Production

    Guide to Proteomics Project Planning: Sample Preparation Strategies – Technology Networks

    Guide to Proteomics Project Planning: Sample Preparation Strategies – Technology Networks

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Entertainment

Recovering the Lost Smells of China’s Slow Trains

June 20, 2023
in Entertainment
Recovering the Lost Smells of China’s Slow Trains
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Ask any member of my generation what they remember most about train travel growing up, and there’s a better than even chance it’ll be the smell.

Chinese trains in the 1980s, ’90s, and ’00s were a rich olfactory experience. In those days before high-speed rail, trains were crowded, cramped, and slow. A train from Beijing to Shanghai might take anywhere from 10 to 20 hours, and passengers spent most of that time eating, sleeping, and sweating.

By the end of the journey, each car had an unforgettable aroma all its own. But the most ubiquitous smell belonged to the instant noodle sauce packets that passengers consumed in place of the more expensive food sold in the train’s dining car. A heady mix of beef paste, salt, and MSG — there was a reason the leading instant noodle manufacturer Master Kong marketed itself as “fragrance and taste you could see.” That heavy scent, combined with the smells emanating from the snack car, the sweat of other passengers, and the stench of the on-board bathrooms, created an instantly recognizable “smellscape.”

Not every train smelled the same, of course. In the slow train era, platforms and even the stations themselves were open spaces. Vendors hawked their wares to passengers through the open windows of cars. As a train passed through different cities, it would accumulate new flavors and scents, from the fatty, burger-style roujiamo of the northwest to the pungent, spicy rice noodles of the southwest.

In a sense, the smell of the train was the smell of openness, of urbanization and social mobility. Loosened restrictions on population movement in the 1980s and ’90s spurred a mass migration of labor from the interior to the coast. This new class of workers brought their spice-heavy cuisine with them to China’s megacities — and returned with new, convenience-focused items like instant noodles.

READ MORE: How the Chili Pepper Conquered China

As elsewhere, mass-migration cross-pollinated China’s regional foodways, helping create the Chinese food we know today. The braised chicken thighs served on the Guangzhou-Kowloon route, for instance, became a symbol of Cantonese cooking despite their lack of connection to classic Cantonese cuisine.

An even more famous example predates the migration wave of the late 20th century: Dezhou braised chicken. Opened in the early 1900s, the Tianjin–Pukou railway connected the northern city of Tianjin to Nanjing near the Yangtze River Delta. Located at a key point along the line, the eastern city of Dezhou became an important waystation connecting northern and southern China, where large numbers of passengers arrived to rest, dine, or change trains. As one of the best-tasting — and most portable — meals in Dezhou cuisine, Dezhou braised chicken became a popular souvenir for travelers passing through the city.

The rise of high-speed rail in the late 2000s all but erased this connection between train travel and local cuisine. Shorter journeys rendered on-board meals unnecessary, and the new high-speed rail stations are both tightly monitored and far more standardized than their predecessors. Many smaller stops are skipped altogether. As they navigate nondescript stations and carriages full of solemn faces, passengers are learning new behavioral norms, like avoiding loud conversations or strong-smelling food.

Behind this shift is a larger trend toward gentrification in China: higher rent in cities, more upscale stores, cleaner streets, and more complex rules of conduct for the populace. The “smellscapes” of trains, with their strong connection to migrant culture, have been displaced by the rise of a growing, internationalized middle class. Likewise, braised beef instant noodles — once the first choice for many train travelers — have been relegated to an emergency stockpile item or a nostalgic treat. Why bother with Master Kong when you can grab McDonalds or Starbucks before boarding?

These changes aren’t necessarily bad. After all, instant noodles aren’t some nutritious delicacy, and the pungent smell of some foods can be unpleasant to the uninitiated. Today’s more closed-off stations are also safer, with fewer pickpockets, more sanitary food, and less risk of being scammed. As China’s go-go years fade into memory, people naturally crave safety, stability, and efficiency. The distinctive flavor of slow train travel is a memory they might look back upon fondly, but it’s not something they want to relive.

That said, we also need to be wary of falling into the trap of Chinese “quality” (suzhi) discourse, in which economic and social changes are condescendingly flattened into a linear “civilizing” process. The idea that China’s new, cleaner, less smelly stations and train cars represent an improvement in “civilization” is mistaken. They’re merely a reflection of the country’s ongoing process of social and economic change. From Dezhou braised chicken to instant noodles and McDonald’s, we are what we eat.

Wu Yachang also made a contribution to this article.

Translator: Katherine Tse; editor: Cai Yineng.

(Header image: A boy eats  instant noodles on a train from Ganzhou to Beijing, 2019. Ding Bo/VCG)

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : SixthTone – https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1013159/Recovering%20the%20Lost%20Smells%20of%20China%E2%80%99s%20Slow%20Trains

Tags: entertainmentRecoveringSmells
Previous Post

Does Chinese Soccer Have a Hooliganism Problem?

Next Post

On Douyin, Chinese Companies Sell Coal at Rock-Bottom Prices

Revisiting Pope Francis’ Call for ‘Ecological Conversion’ – Sojourners

Pope Francis’ Powerful Appeal for a Global Ecological Awakening

October 21, 2025
PJSB donates $50,000 for UACCM Nursing and Science Center – KVOM

PJSB donates $50,000 for UACCM Nursing and Science Center – KVOM

October 21, 2025
An update from Riane Eisler, author of “The Chalice and the Blade,” on achieving peace. – Psychology Today

An update from Riane Eisler, author of “The Chalice and the Blade,” on achieving peace. – Psychology Today

October 21, 2025
We live in a sailboat and travel the world full-time… but our lifestyle isn’t as glamorous as you’d think – Daily Mail

Living Full-Time on a Sailboat and Traveling the World: The Reality Behind the Glamour

October 21, 2025
3 E Network Technology Group Limited Closes $1.5 Million Convertible Promissory Note Offering – Quiver Quantitative

3 E Network Technology Group Limited Closes $1.5 Million Convertible Promissory Note Offering – Quiver Quantitative

October 21, 2025
This Week in Navy Sports Presented by Navy Federal Credit Union – Naval Academy Athletics

Thrilling Moments from This Week in Navy Sports

October 21, 2025
New Land Cruiser “FJ” Makes World Premiere – トヨタ自動車株式会社 公式企業サイト

Unveiling the All-New Land Cruiser “FJ”: A Bold and Exciting World Premiere

October 20, 2025
World economy resilient but underwhelming, says IMF chief – African Business

Global Economy Proves Resilient Yet Growth Falls Short, Warns IMF Chief

October 20, 2025
Country music legend rushed to hospital year after heart surgery. Here’s what we know – PennLive.com

Country Music Legend Rushed to Hospital One Year After Heart Surgery – What’s Happening Now?

October 20, 2025
Proteases in intestinal health and disease – Nature

The Vital Role of Proteases in Intestinal Health and Disease

October 20, 2025

Categories

Archives

October 2025
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Sep    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (878)
  • Economy (899)
  • Entertainment (21,770)
  • General (17,713)
  • Health (9,940)
  • Lifestyle (912)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (900)
  • Politics (909)
  • Science (16,110)
  • Sports (21,399)
  • Technology (15,879)
  • World (882)

Recent News

Revisiting Pope Francis’ Call for ‘Ecological Conversion’ – Sojourners

Pope Francis’ Powerful Appeal for a Global Ecological Awakening

October 21, 2025
PJSB donates $50,000 for UACCM Nursing and Science Center – KVOM

PJSB donates $50,000 for UACCM Nursing and Science Center – KVOM

October 21, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version