Chaozhou hot-and-cold ice is a shaved ice dessert unique to Chaozhou, Pingtung, made by lining the bottom of the bowl with hot toppings like glutinous rice balls and taro balls, then piling shaved ice on top. At an old ice shop beside the Chaozhou rotary, summer afternoons are always packed; the owner ladles rice balls, taro balls, red beans, and peanuts into the bowl, tops it with a mountain of shaved ice and brown sugar syrup — a contrast of hot and cold found nowhere else.
A-lun Ice Shop beside the Chaozhou rotary was founded in 1965; it originally sold only hot glutinous rice ball soup, and the "hot toppings underneath, shaved ice on top" format developed after summer customers asked for ice to be added — a tradition now approaching sixty years. Zheng Lao-pai Chaozhou Hot-and-Cold Ice, across the rotary, is another representative local shop.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Chaozhou hot-and-cold ice?
Chaozhou hot-and-cold ice is a Pingtung dessert unique to Chaozhou, with hot toppings like glutinous rice balls at the bottom of the bowl and shaved ice piled on top, letting you taste hot and cold in the same bite.
Who invented Chaozhou hot-and-cold ice?
It is said to have originated at an old ice shop near the Chaozhou rotary, after summer customers asked for ice to be added to their hot rice ball soup, gradually evolving into today's combined dessert.
What's the right way to eat it?
Dig your spoon down through the ice to the hot toppings so you get both in the same bite, and eat it soon after it arrives before the ice melts.