Season 4 of the food and cultural tourism program Go Where Flavors of Hunan Abound premiered on October 12, 2026. It airs on Hunan Satellite TV and Mango TV every Monday through Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Under the theme “A Season of World-Class Landscapes,” the season focuses on the Greater Zhangjiajie International Tourism Area. Host Wang Han and his food team travel through Zhangjiajie, Cili, Jishou, Fenghuang, Changde, Shaoyang and Huaihua, pairing regional cooking with dramatic scenery and the people who live among it.

Linking Landscapes and Food

The premiere opens in Zhangjiajie with a ride up the Bailong Elevator, followed by a hike along Golden Whip Stream. Foreign visitors met on the trail say Zhangjiajie was their first planned stop in China. The city welcomes more than one million overseas visitors each year, from over 190 countries.

Its appeal, however, reaches well past the scenery. The ingredients grown on the land, and the people whose lives are tied to it, are a big part of the draw.

In Longweiba Village, young people who have moved back home are working with local ingredients such as kudzu root and vine tea. They add them to coffee and to bingfen, a traditional chilled jelly dessert, giving familiar mountain flavors a fresh twist for younger diners.

In Cili, dishes carry stories handed down through generations. Yanghe Dumi dates back to 1935, when neighbors helped a struggling family get through hard times. Residents later cut pork tripe into grain-sized pieces so the dish could feed more people, and it became a lasting symbol of solidarity.

The team also visits a centuries-old tree linked to the Red Army, where commanders He Long and Xiao Ke once held a meeting before a battle. The tree survived a lightning strike, a reminder of the community's endurance. The team draws a parallel with the firm, chewy texture of Xikou beef, which they sample nearby.

The People Behind the Dishes

In Jishou, Wang Jixiang has run Jixiang Rice Noodle Shop for 35 years. She serves four kinds of rice noodles with a range of toppings. One standout pairs noodles with stir-fried pork and fermented chili, a sour-and-spicy combination typical of western Hunan.

From there, the route follows the Wanrong River and crosses Xinnü Bridge, hung with wish plaques, to the creative base of the Miao folk band Miao Ren San Man. The members left their mountain village for town so their children could go to school and so they could earn a living running a business. They never gave up on music. In a Miao village, they perform their original song “Calling to the Mountains,” which expresses a wish to climb a peak together and release their frustrations in one collective shout.

In Fenghuang, restaurant owner Xiao Yang shows how traditional food can win over new fans. After finishing military service, he worked as a tour guide and noticed that many visitors knew little about the town's local cuisine. He then introduced Miao-style smoked pork trotters in sour soup, a specialty of the La'ershan area, to a wider market. He adjusted the flavor slightly for broader tastes while keeping its traditional character.

Wang Han also explains the history of Miao sour soup, a dish he first tasted during filming. As the Miao people migrated, they often ran short of supplies, salt included. They fermented green vegetables and used the sourness for seasoning. Over time, the soup became a reminder of those journeys.

That fermented taste continues to evolve as cooks combine it with an ever-wider range of ingredients. Traditional recipes are not frozen in time. They survive through reinterpretation, connecting generations to the land and its history.

Bringing Local Flavors to a Wider World

A new feature this season is a tasting panel at each destination. Local residents, visitors from other parts of China and international guests sample the dishes together, then vote on the “Hunan Flavor Signature Dishes.”

Among the selected specialties are claypot rice with farm-raised Chinese giant salamander and Tujia-style Sangun Wawa from Zhangjiajie; Xikou beef and Lao Sizhong rice noodles from Cili; and Fangyuan rice noodles and smoked pork trotters in sour soup from Fenghuang.

Because panelists come from different backgrounds, the same dish can be understood and enjoyed in very different ways, and the exchange itself becomes part of the experience.

The scenery in the series includes the sandstone peaks of Zhangjiajie, the Loushui River in Cili, the Wanrong River in Jishou, and the Tuojiang River, Hongqiao Bridge and stilt houses of Fenghuang. Rice noodles, cured meats, sour soup and other local specialties bring warmth and everyday life to these landscapes.

About the Season

Each destination gets two episodes. The first focuses on countryside and mountain food, with hiking, visits to lesser-known places, local challenges and home-cooked meals in ordinary households. The second explores urban food culture, featuring long-established restaurants, neighborhood food traditions and signature dishes prepared by experienced chefs.

By pairing China's natural scenery with regional cooking, the series presents the Greater Zhangjiajie International Tourism Area to international audiences as a lively destination rich in culture, character and culinary heritage.