Back in the ripeness of my postcard collecting and pen-palling, I received an awesome six-card parcel from a friend of mine in China! This postcard features Guanzhong, or the Guanzhong Plain, a region located in the province of Shaanxi (somewhat central China). The name “Guanzhong” means “within the passes”, and that’s because this area sits among four mountain passes that box it snugly in. The Guanzhong Plain was the capital region for 12 dynasties between the 200s BC and 900s AD (is that the right way to right that? 200s and 900s? Just seems weird…) While its political significance lessened with the onset of new dynasties, development in the region has increased. Today, about half of Shaanxi’s population exists within the region. One key thing to point out about it is how fertile the land is. Fertile land means lots of crops; one such crop that’s big there is wheat. Lots of wheat means lots of flour, and lots of flour means lots of noodles. As a matter of fact, Guanzhong is known for preparing their noodles longer and thicker than normal. Thus, they’re filling! As a matter of fact, it’s said that one strip of noodle could arguably fill the bowl! A wheat cake known as guokui is also a local treat here. It’s about 30 cm in diameter and 2.5 cm thick (yeah, it pretty much lives up to the definition of “cake” when it comes to size). It can be eaten with meat filling or enjoyed in its natural form. Guokui is popular in other places outside of Guanzhong, but with how much of a wheat producer Guanzhong is, I figured I’d mention it. Also it’s food-related, and I never turn down talking about food. Thank you bunches for sending me this postcard and the postcards I have yet to feature!
