Longchaoshou: A Hundred Years of One Bowl of Wontons

World Travel 编辑部 · 2026-09-10 · 5 min read

Longchaoshou: A Hundred Years of One Bowl of Wontons

The same wrapper around the same filling is a wonton in most of China, a yuntun in Guangzhou, a qingtang in Jiangxi — and in Sichuan, a chaoshou. The house that turned it into a name, and has carried that name for more than a century, is Chengdu's Longchaoshou.

One food, three names

Chaoshou is Sichuan's word for wonton. Guangzhou calls it yuntun, Jiangxi calls it qingtang, and elsewhere in China it is simply wonton. The names differ; the method is close. In Sichuan, the bowl is a chaoshou.

Yuelai Square, 1941

The founder was Zhang Guangwu, who opened the shop in 1941 at Yuelai Square in Chengdu. The "Long" in the name has a story: while setting up the business, Zhang borrowed the sound of the character nong from the Nonghua Tea Garden — so the shop became Longchaoshou.

Thin, translucent wrappers

The shop's most direct signature is its wrapper — extremely thin and translucent, which is why it caught on. In a bowl of chaoshou, a thin wrapper, delicate filling and clear broth are differences you can taste in one bite.

From one bowl to a whole snack house

Longchaoshou did not stop at chaoshou. After the 1960s it moved to 6-8, south section of Chunxi Road in Chengdu, where it not only served many kinds of chaoshou but added a range of Chengdu snacks, growing into a large snack restaurant that drew plenty of visitors. Walking in today means a whole table of Chengdu snacks rather than a single bowl.

In 1995 the shop was named a "China Time-honoured Brand" by the Ministry of Internal Trade.

Practical notes

• Category: chaoshou, Sichuan's name for wonton
• Founded: by Zhang Guangwu, 1941, Yuelai Square, Chengdu
• Name: "Long" borrowed from the sound of nong in Nonghua Tea Garden
• Signature: extremely thin, translucent wrappers
• Moved: after the 1960s, to 6-8 south section of Chunxi Road, Chengdu
• Honour: China Time-honoured Brand, 1995
• Today: also serves a wide range of Chengdu snacks as a large snack restaurant

Related

• Lai Tang Yuan and Zhong Dumplings: Two Old Chengdu Snack Names
• Tianshuimian and Dandan Noodles: Chengdu's Two Faces of Noodles

Photos

Sources

• Wikipedia: Longchaoshou