Xiezhou Wang Jian Mutton Soup (head shop)

Xiezhou Wang Jian Mutton Soup is a budget lamb-soup shop in Xiezhou Town, Yanhu District, Yuncheng, Shanxi, close to the Xiezhou Guandi Temple. It is described as the head shop of a small local name, and it serves the dish that defines breakfast and lunch across southern Shanxi: yangrou pao, a bowl of clear, peppery lamb broth with torn flatbread. The kitchen is reported to use lamb from the Zhongtiao Mountain area, a pastoral zone north of the Yellow River bend that regional cooks regard as good grazing country for tender, mild-tasting meat. The broth is simmered for hours with the bones and seasoned with white pepper, ginger and a little salt, so the flavour is warm and savoury rather than spicy. Diners usually break the flatbread into small pieces by hand and the kitchen then ladles broth over it, which is the traditional way of eating the dish in this part of China. Lamb soup with extra flatbread is the other common order, for those wanting a heavier meal. Tables are set out in a plain, working dining room with shared benches, and the room fills at noon with local workers and visitors to the temple. The atmosphere is brisk, noisy and informal, with no dress code. Chili oil, pickled garlic and coriander are placed on the table so each person can adjust the bowl. A typical meal costs about CNY 37 (roughly USD 5) per person, which places the shop firmly in the budget category. Reservations are not taken. The shop opens early, around 07:00, and the soup is traditionally a morning and early afternoon meal, with closing around 15:00 according to listed hours that should be verified locally. Arriving before the noon rush gives the best chance of a seat and a fresh pot. There is no wine or beverage programme to speak of; tea or plain hot water is the usual accompaniment. Visitors combining the meal with a visit to Xiezhou Guandi Temple, one of the best-known Guan Yu temples in China, will find the shop an easy and inexpensive stop in the same town.