Shuiyang Three Treasures Pot 水阳三宝

Where it comes from

Xuancheng's culture and tourism bureau says no one knows which cook first thought of putting the three treasures together in one pot, but the result became a local dish popular across Xuancheng, and the bureau counts it among the most representative foods of Xuanzhou. On a menu the name means a stewed pot combining all three, although the dish is also eaten in several other ways. It often appears on the tables of Guangde stew-pot (广德炖锅) restaurants as well. The making of one component, Shuiyang duck-foot bundles (水阳鸭脚包制作技艺), is listed as a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage item.

Shuiyang is the central town of northern Xuanzhou District, at the junction of Anhui and Jiangsu provinces and of four cities: Xuancheng, Nanjing, Wuhu (芜湖) and Ma'anshan (马鞍山). It is a major aquatic-products town of the district, known for freshwater shrimp, mandarin fish, carp and Chinese mitten crab, and the town government says its crab fry and the three treasures sell across the country.

The three components are made by many small producers, and their techniques, recipes and raw-material standards are not the same, so quality varies from maker to maker. A local standard for small workshops producing Shuiyang pressed tofu was drawn up some years ago. In July 2026 Xuancheng's city and district market regulators and the Shuiyang town government began drafting a group standard for the three treasures, covering the processing, quality requirements and inspection of the tofu, the duck-foot bundles and the duck wings.

Flavour and texture

The bureau describes the pot as fresh and savoury, with fragrant, tender pressed tofu and meat soft enough to chew easily, suitable for the old and the young. A 2026 news report adds that its flavour is layered.