Guo qiao mi xian

Guo qiao mi xian, or Crossing bridge rice noodles, is a traditional food in Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China. [cite news |title=Clear and mild |url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-11/05/content_388832.htm |work=China Daily |date=5 November 2004 |accessdate=2008-09-20 ]

Guo qiao mi xian is a hot soup with a layer of oil, and different kinds of meat and vegetables go with rice noodles in the soup. [cite news |title=Oodles of noodles |url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bjweekend/2007-09/28/content_6140390.htm |work=China Daily |date=28 September 2007 |accessdate=2008-09-20 ]

The soup is cooked with duck, chicken, Yunnan ham and beef shanks.

Legend of the origin of Guo qiao mi xian

It is believed that in ancient times, a student who was studying for the Imperial exam (the only way a position could be acquired in the empire at that time) lived on a small island in the middle of a lake, so that he had the peace and quiet he needed to study. His wife brought him food every day, but it was tiring for her to cross the causeway to the island.

One day the wife fell asleep while she was cooking chicken soup. When she woke up, the fire had gone out, but the soup was still warm. The chicken fat floating on top of the broth had kept it warm. She added sliced meat, vegetables and rice noodles to the broth, making the very first "Guo qiao mi xian". [cite web |url=http://aprim.ynao.ac.cn/cultural.html |title=Yunnan Cuisine |work=10th Asian-Pacific Regional IAU Meeting |publisher=Yunnan Astronomical Observatory |accessdate=2008-09-20 ]

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