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Xiaolongbao in a steamer basket (file name says taken in Shanghai)

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Nanxiang Xiaolongbao

小笼馒头 Xiaolongbao · Jiading District (Nanxiang Town), Shanghai, China

Photo: Robigasp · CC BY-SA 4.0

Thin wrappers holding a meat filling and a mouthful of hot soup: xiaolongbao from Nanxiang Town in Jiading, Shanghai.

Know before you go

  • Do not put a whole dumpling in your mouth at once, as the soup is very hot just out of the steamer and can easily scald you
  • do not pierce it with chopsticks and let all the soup run out
  • those allergic to shellfish should avoid crab roe and shrimp xiaolongbao

This article is Not yet verified. Please check official announcements for prices, opening hours and dates.

Culture

Culture & customs

Background

What Shanghai people call 'xiaolong mantou' are actually filled buns. According to the China Intangible Cultural Heritage website, in 1871 Huang Mingxian, owner of the Rihuaxuan snack shop in Nanxiang Town, reworked the large meat buns popular locally into ones with 'generous filling and thin skin, made smaller', which was the prototype of Nanxiang xiaolong; in 1900, a Nanxiang Xiaolong Mantou shop opened at the Shanghai City God Temple, and from then on its fame spread. The wrapper uses unleavened refined flour, and the filling is mainly pork leg mixed with pork-skin aspic, which melts into soup when steamed. In 2014, the traditional technique of making Nanxiang xiaolong mantou was included in the fourth batch of the national list of representative items of intangible cultural heritage. The soup-filled method of xiaolongbao is generally thought to derive from the soup-filled buns of Kaifeng, capital of the Northern Song.

Local customs

  • Xiaolongbao are served in their steamer basket and should be eaten hot. Usually you lift one gently with chopsticks into a spoon, bite a small opening, sip out the soup, then dip it in Zhenjiang black vinegar and eat it with shredded ginger
  • traditionally they are a breakfast dish. Besides fresh pork, there are varieties such as crab roe and shrimp.

Religion & beliefs

  • Xiaolongbao are traditionally filled with pork and enriched with pork-skin aspic, so they are neither halal nor vegetarian
  • even the soup in vegetable or shrimp xiaolongbao may come from pork-skin aspic, so ask first if you have dietary restrictions. Travelers who need halal food can look for halal dim sum shops in Shanghai.

Etiquette & taboos

Etiquette & taboos

Rules that apply here

Essential restrictionsSafetyCountry-wide guidance · China

China: At Qingming tomb-sweeping, no burning paper or open flames in wooded areas

Do

  • Check whether the cemetery requires a reservation before you go
  • Stay quiet while laying flowers, bowing and observing silence
  • Consider flowers, tree planting or online memorials instead of burning paper
  • Dress soberly for tomb-sweeping
  • Take offering wrappers and rubbish with you when you leave

Don’t

  • Don't burn paper, incense or candles, or set off firecrackers, in woods or grassland
  • Don't talk loudly or joke around in the cemetery
  • Don't block cemetery paths for long to take photos

During fire-prevention periods, burning paper, incense and candles is strictly banned in forest and grassland fire zones, and anyone who starts a wildfire may be held legally liable. Whether and where a cemetery allows burning is set by its own rules on site.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Xinhua: Two departments deploy safety measures for the Qingming holiday

Essential restrictionsPublic transportCountry-wide guidance · China

China: Go through security before the metro, and park shared bikes in marked zones

Do

  • Cooperate with the security check at the entrance and put bags through the scanner
  • On the platform, wait beside the doors and let passengers off first
  • Register with your real name in the app before riding a shared bike
  • Park in a marked bay or an app-designated spot, and make sure the lock clicks shut
  • If the brakes or lock don't work, switch bikes and report it in the app

Don’t

  • Don't linger in the doorway or force your way through closing doors
  • Don't leave bikes in traffic lanes, fire lanes or on tactile paving
  • Don't let children under 12 ride shared bikes

If you refuse the security check you will not be let into the station. Badly parked bikes are removed, and riders may face action under local rules and the operator's terms.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: People's Daily Online: Beijing issues standards for shared bike technology, services, parking

Essential restrictionsPublic transportCountry-wide guidance · China

China: No smoking anywhere on high-speed trains, and no phone calls in quiet carriages

Do

  • Sit in the carriage and seat shown on your ticket
  • Put large luggage in the racks at the carriage ends or overhead
  • Use headphones for videos and music
  • In a quiet carriage, step outside to make or take calls
  • Before getting off, check around your seat and take your rubbish and belongings

Don’t

  • Don't smoke anywhere on the train, including toilets and vestibules
  • Don't take someone else's seat
  • Don't choose a quiet carriage when travelling with babies or toddlers (12306 advises against it)

Smoking on a bullet train can set off smoke alarms and slow or even stop the train. Smokers are fined by the police and, according to reports, may also be barred from buying bullet-train tickets; official rules prevail. If someone breaks the quiet-carriage rules, tell the train staff.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Travel China Guide: Smoking on Chinese trains

Essential restrictionsSafetyCountry-wide guidance · China

China: Stay on open sections of the Great Wall and never carve the bricks

Do

  • Walk only on open sections and marked routes
  • On steep stretches, stop and steady yourself before taking photos, and watch your step
  • Wear non-slip shoes, carry enough water, and turn back if you are tired
  • Carry your rubbish down or put it in a bin
  • Check opening arrangements before you go; official announcements prevail

Don’t

  • Don't carve, write on or prise loose the bricks
  • Don't climb over fences or onto closed, crumbling walls and watchtowers
  • Don't run or push on steep sections

Carving the Great Wall counts as damaging a cultural relic: one visitor who carved his name at Badaling was given administrative detention and a fine by the police and was blacklisted by the scenic area. Closed sections are not maintained and can be dangerous.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: China News Service: Man detained for five days and fined 200 yuan for carving on the Badaling Great Wall

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · China

China: book popular sights in advance, under your real name, through official channels

Do

  • Check the booking rules on the site's official website, mini program or account before you go
  • Enter every companion's ID details in advance and pick an entry time slot
  • Children, seniors and others with free or reduced tickets also book as required and show ID
  • Book early for holidays and summer; popular dates often fill quickly

Don’t

  • Don't trust third parties offering to grab tickets or sell 'insider' tickets
  • Don't assume a free ticket means no booking is needed
  • Don't count on buying tickets at the gate on peak days

Once a popular date is fully booked, you may be turned away. China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism requires sites to keep in-person ticket windows and to accommodate seniors and others, but on-site quotas are limited; booking windows, release times and visitor caps are subject to official announcements.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: China Daily: Ministry of Culture and Tourism requires all scenic areas to keep ticket windows

Essential restrictionsEntryCountry-wide guidance · China

China: set up mobile payment before you go; hotels and tickets are booked under your passport

Do

  • Link a foreign bank card to Alipay or WeChat Pay before departure
  • Carry some cash in yuan for small stalls, remote areas or payment glitches
  • Expect real-name checks at hotels, for train tickets and popular sights; use your passport
  • Make sure the name and number on bookings match your passport exactly
  • If a station gate cannot read your passport, use the staffed lane

Don’t

  • Don't wait until you arrive to set up payment; verification can take time
  • Don't assume cash alone or a bank card alone will work everywhere
  • Don't book with details that differ from your passport

Without a working payment method, or with mismatched ID details, you may be unable to check in, buy tickets or enter sights. Payment limits, fees and platform rules are subject to official announcements.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Gov.cn: Payment services for foreign visitors to China

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · China

China: Queue, don't smoke where banned, and never carve on heritage sites

Do

  • Wait your turn in line, and follow staff directions when it's crowded
  • On buses and the metro, let passengers off first and offer seats to those in need
  • Book popular sights and museums in advance, under your real name, through official channels
  • Sort your rubbish into the right bins
  • Use serving chopsticks and spoons, and order only what you can eat

Don’t

  • Don't cut in line or walk side by side blocking the way
  • Don't smoke where it is banned; many cities ban smoking in indoor public places and on public transport
  • Don't carve or write on historic buildings or ancient trees, or climb on or touch relics
  • Don't use flash or tripods in exhibition halls
  • Don't talk loudly or play music out loud in public places

Staff will stop you from queue-jumping, smoking where banned or marking relics, and smoking in no-smoking areas or damaging relics can also lead to fines under the law. Fine amounts, booking methods and opening hours are as officially announced.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Palace Museum official site: Visit

Don’t DON'T

  • Do not put a whole dumpling in your mouth at once, as the soup is very hot just out of the steamer and can easily scald you
  • do not pierce it with chopsticks and let all the soup run out
  • those allergic to shellfish should avoid crab roe and shrimp xiaolongbao
  • do not flick ginger shreds from your vinegar dish into someone else's bowl
  • do not fill the vinegar dish too full in case it spills

Locals appreciate DO

  • Dim sum shops appreciate diners who pick up the dumplings carefully without spilling soup into the steamer
  • Shanghai people believe in eating them hot, and starting to eat as soon as the basket arrives is seen as respecting the chef's craft. Holding them on a spoon and keeping the table clean is also considered refined.

Plan your visit

Practical info

Travel tips

  • Xiaolongbao are served around Nanxiang Ancient Town and the Yu Garden and City God Temple area, as well as at dim sum shops and Shanghainese noodle shops in every district
  • breakfast and the afternoon snack hours are busiest, and popular shops often have queues. A steamer usually holds eight to a dozen or more
  • two people sharing a steamer plus a bowl of soup or noodles is just right. Allergy and dietary notes: contains wheat (gluten) and pork
  • the crab-roe versions contain crustaceans
  • the dipping vinegar is black vinegar—add as much as you like. You can combine it with Guyi Garden in Nanxiang, the Yu Garden and the City God Temple area for a half-day itinerary. Crab-roe xiaolongbao are more common in winter and more expensive. Prices, opening hours and the day's availability are as posted by each shop
  • popular shops often have queues at peak mealtimes, so go outside peak hours for a more relaxed meal.

Photos

Photos

Xiaolongbao in a steamer basket (file name says taken in Shanghai)
Xiaolongbao in a steamer basket (file name says taken in Shanghai)
Robigasp · CC BY-SA 4.0
Xiaolongbao for breakfast (location not specified)
Xiaolongbao for breakfast (location not specified)
Darrylsnow · CC BY-SA 4.0
Sources & verification notes

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network: Traditional wheaten-food making technique (Nanxiang xiaolongbao making technique)

Chinese Wikipedia: Xiaolongbao

Wikipedia (English): Xiaolongbao

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