Changzhou Dried Radish 常州萝卜干
Changzhou Dried Radish is featured among the local specialties of Jiangsu.
Changzhou Dried Radish (常州萝卜干), also called Wujin dried radish (武进萝卜干), is a salted and dried radish that Chinese Wikipedia lists as a well-known local product of Changzhou (常州) in Jiangsu.
Ingredients
The main ingredient is the Xinzha red radish (新闸红萝卜). It was first grown in Panjiaxiang (潘家巷), Suizhao (隋赵村) and Beizhao (北赵村) villages around Xiatang in Xinzha (新闸下塘), and its growing area later spread outward from there.
How it is made
Around Lidong (立冬), the solar term that marks the start of winter, the radishes are cut into white slices, or dried on bamboo trays and reed screens. Local varieties fall into two broad families, sweet and salty.
Where it comes from
Growing and salting radish in Changzhou is recorded in Song dynasty books, among them the Shishi Leiyuan (事实类苑) and the Sangtong Jue (桑通诀).
Commercial pickling appeared after 1900, with firms such as the Xinming Pickle Company (新明腌菜公司) in Taiping Lane (太平巷) by the west gate. After 1949, joint public-private reorganisation created the Changzhou Sauce Products Factory (常州酱品厂), whose best-known product was the Hongmei (红梅) brand sweet dried radish. Another local brand, Huangjinlong (黄金龙), was exported to Singapore, Malaysia and Japan.
In September 2009 the pickling technique for Changzhou Dried Radish entered the second batch of Jiangsu's provincial intangible cultural heritage list.
More dishes to compare
Explore related local specialties and compare their names, preparation notes and ordering guidance.
Rugao Dried Radish 如皋萝卜干 →
Rugao (如皋) dried radish is another Jiangsu salted and dried radish; the Changzhou one is made from the local Xinzha red radish and comes in sweet and salty types.
Sources & reading
Written from the linked sources and fact-checked against them on 2026-09-25. Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.