Sichuan has China's first pickle museum

Yan Qi, a tourist from Fuling, Chongqing, was given a pleasant surprise on Monday when she came across the China Paocai Museum in Meishan, Sichuan province.

"I come from Fuling, which is known nationwide for pickled food but I have never seen a paocai (pickled vegetables) museum before,” said the middled-aged woman who claimed to be a great pickle fan.

Located in the China Paocai city in the Dongpo district of Meishan, the China Paocai Museum, which opened on Monday, is the country’s only museum of its kind and covers more than 2,000 square meters.

A visitor takes pictures of pickled food while another looks on at the China Paocai Museum in Meishan, Sichuan province, on Monday.

The museum, which is free to enter, tells the history and culture pertaining to pickles, showcases their production and processing and displays varied pickled foods.

Best known as the hometown of Su Dongpo (1037-1101), one of the greatest men of letters in Chinese history, Meishan is a major source of pickle production in Sichuan. Its pickle output ranks first in China.

Meishan has 66 main pickle producing firms. Last year, the city processed 1 million tons of pickles and sales registered 6 billion yuan ($952 million) accounting for 55.6 and 40 percent of Sichuan's total respectively.

"Its pickles are sold in more than 40 countries and regions including the United States, Canada, South Korea, Thailand and Singapore," said Fu Zhikang, deputy chief of the Sichuan provincial department of agriculture.