"Metro"

#13229540

23 January 2026

In Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, on April 17, 2025, a panoramic view from the Minjiang district shows the city stretching between modern buildings and construction sites, illustrating the rapid expansion of Sichuan's capital.

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#13229546

23 January 2026

In Chengdu, China, on April 14, 2025, workers drain water from large earthenware jars in a Lao Tan Zi factory warehouse, where vegetables ferment using methods passed down for millennia. This ancestral know-how, deeply rooted in Sichuan culture, relies on precise techniques and strict fermentation times. Inside the jars, cabbage, radishes, and beans slowly transform, developing the tangy and umami flavors typical of the local cuisine.

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#13229547

23 January 2026

In Chengdu, China, on April 14, 2025, workers drain water from large earthenware jars in a Lao Tan Zi factory warehouse, where vegetables ferment using methods passed down for millennia. This ancestral know-how, deeply rooted in Sichuan culture, relies on precise techniques and strict fermentation times. Inside the jars, cabbage, radishes, and beans slowly transform, developing the tangy and umami flavors typical of the local cuisine.

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#13229548

23 January 2026

In Chengdu, China, on April 14, 2025, workers drain water from large earthenware jars in a Lao Tan Zi factory warehouse, where vegetables ferment using methods passed down for millennia. This ancestral know-how, deeply rooted in Sichuan culture, relies on precise techniques and strict fermentation times. Inside the jars, cabbage, radishes, and beans slowly transform, developing the tangy and umami flavors typical of the local cuisine.

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#13229549

23 January 2026

In Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, on April 14, 2025, large jars at the Lao Tan Zi factory are filled with fermented chili peppers, opened, and carefully stirred--an essential step in the fermentation process. Exposed to sunlight and fresh air at regular intervals, the preparations develop complex aromas and the distinctive intensity of Sichuan cuisine. This practice, passed down through generations, produces key condiments such as doubanjiang and fermented chili pastes, pillars of the local gastronomy.

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#13229550

23 January 2026

In Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, on April 14, 2025, large jars at the Lao Tan Zi factory are filled with fermented chili peppers, opened, and carefully stirred--an essential step in the fermentation process. Exposed to sunlight and fresh air at regular intervals, the preparations develop complex aromas and the distinctive intensity of Sichuan cuisine. This practice, passed down through generations, produces key condiments such as doubanjiang and fermented chili pastes, pillars of the local gastronomy.

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#13229551

23 January 2026

In Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, on April 14, 2025, large jars at the Lao Tan Zi factory are filled with fermented chili peppers, opened, and carefully stirred--an essential step in the fermentation process. Exposed to sunlight and fresh air at regular intervals, the preparations develop complex aromas and the distinctive intensity of Sichuan cuisine. This practice, passed down through generations, produces key condiments such as doubanjiang and fermented chili pastes, pillars of the local gastronomy.

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#13229552

23 January 2026

In Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, on April 12, 2025, women tend the fermentation vats at the Wang Feng factory, filled with chili peppers, carefully balancing heat, humidity, and resting times. This gesture, repeated day after day, allows the chilies to ferment slowly while developing their aromatic intensity--a patient alchemy at the heart of the region's culinary traditions.

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#13229553

23 January 2026

In Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, on April 12, 2025, women tend the fermentation vats at the Wang Feng factory, filled with chili peppers, carefully balancing heat, humidity, and resting times. This gesture, repeated day after day, allows the chilies to ferment slowly while developing their aromatic intensity--a patient alchemy at the heart of the region's culinary traditions.

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#13229554

23 January 2026

In Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, on April 12, 2025, women tend the fermentation vats at the Wang Feng factory, filled with chili peppers, carefully balancing heat, humidity, and resting times. This gesture, repeated day after day, allows the chilies to ferment slowly while developing their aromatic intensity--a patient alchemy at the heart of the region's culinary traditions.

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#13229555

23 January 2026

In Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, on April 12, 2025, women tend the fermentation vats at the Wang Feng factory, filled with chili peppers, carefully balancing heat, humidity, and resting times. This gesture, repeated day after day, allows the chilies to ferment slowly while developing their aromatic intensity--a patient alchemy at the heart of the region's culinary traditions.

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#13229556

23 January 2026

In Chengdu, China, on April 12, 2025, a woman stirs a chili fermentation vat at the Wang Feng factory, where chilies macerate slowly. She carefully monitors the subtle balance of heat, humidity, and resting time--conditions essential for the chilies to fully release their powerful, complex aromas. This precise gesture, repeated daily, embodies a patient alchemy at the heart of Sichuan's culinary traditions, preserving ancestral know-how.

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#13229557

23 January 2026

In Chengdu, China, on April 12, 2025, a man carefully stirs chili fermentation vats at the Wang Feng factory, where chilies macerate slowly. He closely monitors the subtle balance of heat, humidity, and resting time--conditions essential for the chilies to fully release their powerful, complex aromas. This precise gesture, repeated daily, embodies a patient alchemy at the heart of Sichuan's culinary traditions, preserving ancestral know-how.

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#13229526

23 January 2026

In Xian of Mingshan, Sichuan Province, China, on April 13, 2025, men hand-roast freshly picked young tea leaves in a large wok. This precise and rapid ancestral gesture fixes the tea's aromas and preserves the freshness of the buds. This firing, the final step before commercialization, gives the tea its characteristic notes and velvety texture.

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#13229527

23 January 2026

In Xian of Mingshan, Sichuan Province, China, on April 13, 2025, men hand-roast freshly picked young tea leaves in a large wok. This precise and rapid ancestral gesture fixes the tea's aromas and preserves the freshness of the buds. This firing, the final step before commercialization, gives the tea its characteristic notes and velvety texture.

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#13229600

23 January 2026

In Zigong, Sichuan Province, China, on April 14, 2025, a man extracts salt from an ancient salt well in the city of Zigong, Sichuan, the cradle of one of the world's oldest salt industries. Using a manual or mechanical pumping system, brine is drawn from deep underground and then channeled into large vats where it is heated until evaporation. This know-how, refined over more than two millennia, shapes the region's economy and gastronomy. In Zigong, salt is far more than a seasoning; it is a unique cultural and technical heritage in China.

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