Luizhou and the Spicy Soup Made from the Snails in its River

I had secured some voluntary work in Luizhou, China. Whilst I waited for my visa in Hong Kong, I took the opportunity to do some research on the place. According to some sources, it was notable for its river, karst pocked landscape, and snails. To my surprise, nobody I spoke to knew anything about Luizhou snails or its river. However, that’s because when they asked me to spell it, I was diligently giving them a combination of letters of a non-existent city.

The E-bike Revolution

Part of Guangxi province, it lies in the south west of China. The area is dotted with distinctive jagged, karst formations that punctuate the land like a monster’s protruding under-bite. I was informed by the employees at the English school where I was volunteering that the dominant industry in Luizhou is car manufacturing. Ironically, the thing that I first noticed was the profusion of almost silent e-bikes zipping around the town centre. I didn’t need an additional layer of complexity added to the onerous task of crossing the road in China. The undetectable noise of these two-wheeled menaces, presented yet another challenge. Somewhat reassuringly, it’s not just gormless foreigners who are struggling with the electric revolution though.

The River Lui Swimmers

The river Lui runs through the city and furnishes the locals with two central components of their culture: swimming and snails. The former has been a mainstay for generations who flock to its relatively clear, jade waters. One day I was crossing a bridge over the river and saw a group of people in trouble far below. However, I quickly realised that the people were holding on to a buoyancy aid resembling a small, orange plastic box. A couple of days later, cycling along the banks of the river, I came across what appeared to be the entry point for the swimmers. There were steps leading into the water, changing rooms, snack facilities and everything else you could want from an urban, river swimming facility. 

The Luosifen Industry in Luizhou

The river also supplies the local residents with a staple of their diet: snails. Luosifen is a spicy noodle soup made from a stock of pork bones and the aforementioned Luizhou snails. It has become synonymous with the city that gave it to the world and was the first meal that I had in Luizhou. Smaller than their landed French cousins, they have a texture more similar to clams or cockles. Due to the shape of their shells, and perhaps their dismay at a boiling water plunge pool, the snails need to be dragged out of the recesses of their home with a toothpick. And, with slippery noodles and a piping hot chilli infused broth, I needed to deploy the full range of utensils.

The popularity of Luosifen has resulted in a burgeoning local industry, capitalising on China’s love of instant noodles. Luizhou’s economy has been boosted by factories springing up to manufacture this freeze dried, mass produced version of its artisanal older sibling. Although the distinctive smell (let’s call it ‘river bouquet’) turns some people off, plenty more lap up it up; both in China and further afield. Indeed, the value of the pre-packaged Luosifen in Luizhou is estimated to be around 3 billion yuan annually.

Rice Wine and Acts of Kindness

Luizhou was my Chinese mainland initiation, but, mercifully, the kind that doesn’t result in ritual humiliation or bruising. There was, however, a ferocious multi-day hangover. This resulted from my attempt to not lose face when drinking homemade rice wine at a social gathering. In fact, I got some plaudits for going toe to toe with my host’s father in law. Admittedly, I also had to make use of his spare room, a fan and a jug of water to aid my recovery. I’m not sure I lost face, but I certainly got off it.

Another act of kindness from a stranger soon followed. It involved a woman pursuing me on foot as I cycled away from an ATM, with cash, but without my card. It took some time for her to explain why she was running after me. But, as she gasped for air and waved my card exasperatingly, I soon clicked.

After two weeks in Luizhou, I took a train and followed the River Lui north to Yangshuo. Here I would join the e-bike revolution as a rider and slurp more Luosifen. I was also careful to swerve anything that looked like it, or contained homemade rice wine.