In the memories of Yuxi locals, the festive season is always associated with the presence of sweet rice wine. The unforgettable taste of traditionally brewed sweet rice wine has become a way for everyone to revisit joyful childhood memories. Every Chinese New Year's Eve, as the lively sounds of firecrackers fill the air, the New Year begins, marking the sparkling debut of sweet rice wine. Taking a gentle sip of sweet rice wine, with each chew, the glutinous rice absorbs the sweet wine juice, offering a soft, smooth, sweet, and mild flavor. Slightly intoxicating but not overwhelming, it balances the savory taste of various cold dishes and hot stir-fries. With its unique freshness and sweetness, sweet rice wine becomes a standout dish on the New Year's Eve feast.

In the golden autumn, in Eshan Yi Autonomous County, Yuxi City, Yunnan Province, old people are busy making steamed cakes. The new rice dough is ground into round and thick steamed cakes, finely boiled brown sugar is chopped into pieces, layers are spread into Zhenzi, which is made of bamboo strips and steamed with wood. Finally, osmanthus flowers are sprinkled with the fragrance of the steamed cakes. This is a local autumn traditional characteristic food, autumn comes, eat steamed cake, meaning life is sweet and beautiful.

Eel rice noodles are made with fresh eel and high-quality rice noodles. After briefly blanching the rice noodles in boiling water, they are served in a large bowl, topped with flavored eel, and garnished with cilantro, mint, green onions, chives, chili oil, and other ingredients. A bowl of authentic eel rice noodles is then complete.

Chengjiang, with its mild climate and abundant water sources, has a long history of lotus root cultivation. The lotus roots in Chengjiang are plump and flavorful. The lotus root powder, processed using the unique techniques of the people of Chengjiang, is pure in texture and turns crystal clear when mixed with water. It offers a rich, sweet, and fragrant taste, with a delicate and smooth texture that leaves an endless aftertaste. This traditional crafting technique has been passed down for hundreds of years. A bowl of this warm and sweet snack the memories of every Chengjiang native for their hometown.

The biggest attraction of Li Xue's colorful Zongzi is its rich filling and unique flavors. The purple zongzi, infused with high-quality ham and abundant fats, is full of meaty flavor without being greasy. The fragrant and sweet jujubes, combined with the sweet and slightly tangy pineapple, create a unique taste whether wrapped in yellow or purple glutinous rice, resulting in a delightful and sweet combination. As for the purple rice zongzi filled with rose petals, it carries a subtle fragrance of the zongzi leaves and leaves you craving for more with every bite.

The Yuxi Rice Noodle Festival, which lasts for 81 days from the first day of the first lunar month to the 22nd day of the third lunar month every year, is recognized as the longest festival in the world. It is a traditional festival for people of all ethnic groups in Yuxi. During the festival, villages in Hongta District will take turns to welcome and worship the local god according to the agreed schedule. Every household will eat rice noodles and hold various celebration activities to welcome the New Year. This special topic shows the folk customs of welcoming and worshipping the local god and celebrating the Rice Noodle Festival in Yanhe and other places in Hongta District.

On April 19th, the 2nd Cuoke Watermelon Festival was held in Ganzhuang Street, Yuanjiang County. Using watermelons as a medium and the festival as a platform to make friends, it showcased the development achievements of watermelon industry in Cuoke and shared the joy of watermelon harvest. Cuoke Village has been growing watermelons since 1992. Thanks to its climatic advantages of abundant sunshine and large temperature differences between day and night, the watermelons grown here are highly favored by consumers for their sweet taste, large size, and juicy flesh. In 2025, Cuoke Village expanded its watermelon planting area by approximately 100 mu, bringing the total area to over 300 mu. Households engaged in watermelon cultivation account for 75% of the village's permanent population. With continuous improvements in planting techniques, each mu of watermelon field yields about 2 tons of watermelons, generating an output value of 3.6 million yuan.                                       

In the harvest season for grapes, the middle and high-end grapes in Zhaowei Community, Dayingjie sub-district of Hongta District, are selling well. When walking into Yuxi Tianhui Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. grape planting base, sapphire grapes are like diamonds hanging on the vine, full, mouthwatering. Next to them are the Queen Nina grapes. In the sunlight, they are crystal clear, like many agates.

On June 9, 2023, the 20th Golden Mango Cultural Tourism Festival in Yuanjiang began, and tourists from all over the world gathered in the Sun City Yuanjiang to celebrate the Mango Festival together, and felt the warmness of the Yuanjiang, the sweetness of mangoes and the heat of the festival.

During this period, all kinds of wild mushrooms emerged from underground. It would be great to invite your friends to come to Yimen to experience the fun of picking up mushrooms. What’s more, you can watch how to cook these mushrooms and enjoy wild mushroom cuisine.