7. Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province

Bottles of aging Shaoxing rice wine. Chinese use the alcohol extensively in their cooking

This ancient canal city is home to huangjiu, an amber-colored rice wine that's ubiquitous in Chinese cooking.

Experience the history of 2,000 years of winemaking and taste aged wines at the Yellow Rice Wine Museum before enjoying a meal at the legendary Xianheng restaurant.

Open since 1894, the dining chain is known by almost every Chinese for its appearance in early 20th century novels by Chinese literati Lu Xun.

Xianheng's delicacies include crispy-skinned chicken, smoked red dates in rice wine, beans flavored with fennel, and crispy bream in rice wine.

Fried fermented tofu is also a local specialty, which is available all over town at small street stalls including one just outside Xianheng.

More on CNN: Baijiu factory tour: How Chinese brew their national liquor

Shaoxing Yellow Rice Wine Museum, 557 Xiada Lu, Shaoxing 绍兴黄酒博物馆, 下大路557号, +86 575 8517 6032, open daily 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Xian Heng Restaurant, 179 Lu Xun Zhong Lu, Yuecheng District, Shaoxing 咸亨酒店中餐厅, 越城区鲁迅中路179号, +86 575 8511 6666, open daily 8 a.m.-8 p.m., reservation required

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