Dongpo pork in Hangzhou

Dongpo pork

东坡肉 · Hangzhou, China

Foto: Pauloleong2002 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Red-braised pork belly named after Su Dongpo, the signature dish of Hangzhou cuisine.

Antes de ir · Know before you go

  • Don't stick your chopsticks upright in rice
  • don't turn dishes over on the table to pick through them

Este artículo está «Sin verificar». Consulte los avisos oficiales sobre precios, horarios y fechas.

Stories & people

Historias y personajes

Leyenda

A pot of pork from Su Shi's exile in Huangzhou

Legend has it that after the 'Crow Terrace Poetry Case', Su Shi was banished to Huangzhou and, living in straitened circumstances, worked out a way of slow-braising pork. The dish was later adopted and refined by the people of Hangzhou — capital of the Southern Song — and became Dongpo pork, named after him. The story is hard to verify, but Su Shi was indeed a famous gourmet and also served as a local official in Hangzhou.

Su Shi (Su Dongpo)1037–1101

Fuente: Wikipedia: Dongpo pork

Culture

Cultura y costumbres

Contexto cultural

Dongpo pork is a famous Hangzhou dish: pork belly first pan-fried and then red-braised until rich but not greasy. It is named after the Song poet and gourmet Su Shi (Su Dongpo). The 'Meat-shaped Stone' in the National Palace Museum in Taipei is a piece of jasper carved to look like braised pork.

Costumbres locales

Usually one piece per person in a small clay pot, with rice or lotus-leaf buns

Etiquette

Normas y tabúes

Normas que se aplican aquí

Línea rojaSeguridadChina

China: don't get physical in a dispute

  • Walk away from an argument and call the police if needed
  • Pushing, shoving or fighting

Whoever starts it, taking part in a fight can bring a fine or detention, and the injured party usually demands compensation.

Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: GOV.UK: China travel advice

Línea rojaModales cotidianosChina

China: carry your original passport

  • Foreign visitors should carry their original passport
  • Carrying only a copy or photo of your passport

Police make random ID checks and do not accept printouts; if you cannot show your passport, you may be fined or detained.

Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: GOV.UK: China travel advice

No lo haga DON'T

  • Don't stick your chopsticks upright in rice
  • don't turn dishes over on the table to pick through them

Lo que aprecian los locales DO

Hangzhou people appreciate diners who order the 'Hangzhou trio': Dongpo pork with West Lake fish in vinegar sauce and Longjing shrimp.

Plan your visit

Información práctica

Consejos de viaje

  • The old restaurants by West Lake are the most famous, with queues on holidays. Prices and opening hours are set by each restaurant
  • popular old places often have queues, so go outside peak mealtimes.
Fuentes y notas de verificación

Wikipedia: Dongpo pork

Wikipedia: Su Shi