Sanqingshan UNESCO Global Geopark has recently launched a series of promotional activities centered on vegetarian culture. By integrating resources of local homestays including Zuowang and Manman Village as well as the Immortal Palace Vegetarian Food House within its jurisdiction, the geopark creates distinctive vegetarian experiences and boosts integrated development of local delicacies and cultural tourism industries.

Zuowang Homestay

On May 28, a vocational training program on vegetarian culture hosted by Zuowang Homestay concluded under the guidance of the Sanqingshan Trade Union. The training covered vegetarian culture popularization, industry information sharing and hands-on basic vegetarian cooking practice, and wrapped up with a display of home-style vegetarian dishes. Nestled in Bajiaowu of Yinjiang Village, Zuowang Homestay names its guest rooms after Taoist philosophical concepts such as Zuowang (Sitting in Oblivion), Jiandu (Solitude of Insight) and Xinzhai (Mind Fasting). Drawing on wild native mountain ingredients, it restores the authentic natural flavor of food. Featuring seasonal fresh vegetables and rare wild mushrooms, the homestay delivers an immersive Zen vegetarian dining experience. Guests may also take part in handcraft activities including ancient incense stick making and plant rubbing printing to embrace the residence philosophy of forgetting worries, calming the mind and enjoying leisure.

Manman Village

Manman Village specializes in artistic vegetarian feasts with serene aesthetic appeal, blending traditional food culture with modern cooking techniques to develop a complete set of vegetarian banquet menus. As China’s first immersive all-natural wellness resort, Manman Village draws on the natural aura of Sanqingshan and millennia-old Taoist culture. It boasts four themed wellness villa clusters — Yulu, Qingyang, Diedie and Yier Manor — with a total of 83 distinctive guest rooms. The resort builds a holistic physical and mental rehabilitation system integrating natural therapy, manual therapy, inner spiritual healing, communal wellness and tech-assisted recuperation.

Immortal Palace Vegetarian Series

The Immortal Palace Vegetarian Food stall beside Sanqing Temple offers affordable vegetarian specialties:

· Immortal Palace Vegetarian Noodles: Priced at 1 RMB, limited to 500 servings daily, available on weekends from March to October. Cooked with mountain spring water, served with shiitake mushrooms, dried bamboo shoots and green vegetables.

· Sanqing Glutinous Rice Cakes: Priced at 2 RMB, available in two fillings: sesame and pickled vegetable.

· Black Herb Rice Cakes: Crafted with age-old hand-making techniques, wrapped in translucent rice sheets filled with rich savory fillings.

These classic local snacks including Sanqingshan vegetarian noodles and glutinous rice cakes are made from original ecological mountain ingredients. They feature clear, fresh broth and smooth noodles, embodying the unique culinary customs of Sanqingshan.

Building on the outcomes of the vegetarian cooking training, the geopark will further tap into the potential of vegetarian culture. It will link up Zuowang Homestay, Manman Village and Immortal Palace Vegetarian Food to forge an exclusive cultural tourism brand themed on vegetarian cuisine, offering visitors a one-of-a-kind wellness gourmet journey.