At an old ice shop beside the Chaozhou rotary, the afternoon seats are always full in summer. The owner ladles glutinous rice balls, taro balls, red beans, and peanuts from a steamer into the bottom of the bowl, then crowns it all with a small mountain of shaved ice and a drizzle of brown sugar syrup — this is lěngrè bīng, 'hot-and-cold ice.' Dig down with a spoon: first the ice, then a warm glutinous rice ball underneath. One bite cold, one bite warm, one sweet, one comforting. This is Chaozhou Rotary's own invention, found nowhere else.
What is Chaozhou Hot-and-Cold Ice
Hot-and-cold ice is a uniquely Chaozhou dessert with an unusual structure. The bowl is first lined with freshly cooked hot toppings — glutinous rice balls, taro balls, red beans, peanuts, pearl barley, mung beans, any four to eight of these — then topped with a thick layer of shaved ice and finished with brown sugar syrup or condensed milk. As you eat from top to bottom, cold and warm intermingle: the rice balls beneath the ice stay warm, the taro balls retain some heat, creating a contrast of temperatures in the mouth that is neither overwhelmingly cold nor simply a sweet soup. It is a rare contrasting-temperature eating style in Taiwan's ice dessert culture.
Why Chaozhou? Chaozhou hot-and-cold ice originated in the rotary area of Chaozhou Township. Zheng Lao-pai Chaozhou Hot-and-Cold Ice, A-lun Ice Shop, and others are decades-old establishments beside the rotary, jointly regarded by locals and visitors as Chaozhou must-visits. The Chaozhou Township Office has long promoted hot-and-cold ice as a local specialty; the Pingtung County Government Tourism Bureau's Chaozhou tourism route also uses the rotary ice shops as a central landmark. While other cities occasionally imitate the concept, the 'hot toppings at bottom plus shaved ice on top' format is most authentic and most varied in Chaozhou.
How to eat it like a local
Local knowledge
Verified endorsements (sponsored content filtered out)
- Hot-and-cold ice is a uniquely local Chaozhou dessert; Zheng Lao-pai and A-lun Ice Shop are both decades-old shops beside the rotary.
- The Chaozhou Township Office designates hot-and-cold ice as a local specialty; it is a core part of the Pingtung County Government's Chaozhou tourism promotion route.
- The 'hot toppings at the bottom plus shaved ice on top' format originated in Chaozhou; occasional imitators exist elsewhere, but the cluster is most complete in Chaozhou.
Visitor tips
- On summer weekends in the afternoon, both old shops at the rotary are often packed; before 2 p.m. or after 5 p.m. is easier for queuing.
- Hot-and-cold ice must be assembled and eaten immediately; don't take it to go — the hot toppings and ice separated too long ruin the experience.
- Those with sensitive digestion should be aware of the cold-and-hot alternation; you can ask for a ratio with more toppings and less ice.
Information compiled from the Pingtung County Government Tourism Bureau, Chaozhou Township Office, and large volumes of public reviews; sponsored content has been filtered out. Photos will be replaced with exclusive channel footage after Dio's on-site shoot.