In eating Guilin rice noodles, no matter whether you eat Spiced Rice Noodles or Fresh Pork Rice Noodles, Sour and Spicy Rice Noodles or Sirloin Rice Noodles, if you add a little brine, the taste will be just too wonderful for words. Then, what are in the brine to make it so delicious? We must begin with the origin of rice noodles and its brine.

In 221 B.C., Emperor Qin Shihuang sent 500,000 army to conquer the hundred nationalities in the south, and was resisted staunchly by the hundred nationalities. Besides, the terrain of the South Ridges was very perilous, and the transportation was very inconvenient, which became a serious drag on the war. So Emperor Qin Shihuang sent Shi Lu to dig a canal which should connect the Xiang River and Li River to solve the problems of transportation. After the on-the-spot survey, Shi Lu led the farmers to dig a 1 kg canal ---Ling Canal. After the Ling Canal was dredged, the transportation problems had been solved. This had put an end to the passive state of the war of unification.

Before Shi Lu came, the Qin generals and soldiers had been fazed by the unsuitable meal  and unacclimatization, These people from the northwest were grown up eating wheat flour. The stretched noodles, sliced noodles and mutton and sweetbread soup steamed buns of the northwest were their great delicacy. Now they were far from home to fight in the south, where the mountain are high and water are deep and food couldn¡¯t be transported. One couldn¡¯t fight with an empty stomach, so they could only eat the local food to solve the food problem.

But the south is rich in rice, with no wheat. This is what we say people grow up from the surroundings around them. Then the cook in the army ground the rice into flour and processed it into noodles according the making methods of the northwestern noodles, to serve the generals and soldiers. The name of rice flour had been used until the 1950s. However, to the people from northwest, rice noodles are not as delicious as wheat noodles.   

For unacclimatization, many generals and soldiers in the Qin army fell sick, their main symptoms were windy and discomfort stomach, diarrhea and vomiting, which had influenced the battle effectiveness directly. The doctors in the troops collected local herbal medicines such as the  cloves, cinnamon, aniseed, fennel and chopped tangerine peel, licorice, etc. which specially treats symptoms of abdominal fullness and distention, indigestion, and vomiting, and decocted them into a soup and handed out to the generals and soldiers to eat and to prevent and treat diseases. Most of these medicines invigorate the stomach and help digestion.

Hey! It really works. After drinking for two or three times, the stomach was not windy any more. The soldiers felt like laying down a heavy burden and felt brisk. And the soup had the sweet taste of licorice, it is not bad to taste, so it was well-received by the generals and soldiers. No matter whether they had diseases or not, they would like drink a few mouthfuls. As time passed, it had become a habit. If they didn¡¯t drink it for one day, they would feel uncomfortable.

But the battle was fierce. Often when the soldiers were eating, the enemy launched a sneak attack. The soldiers had to throw away the bowls and throw into the battles. To save time, the generals and soldiers blended the noodles and soup together to eat. This eating method forced by the battle had set a precedent for the habit of eating Guilin rice noodles while adding brines.

As a result of the reforms of masters of all generations, it became the condiments of the famous Guilin rice noodles today ¡ª  the brine.