A melting pot of fiery flavors

Further along, a glass wall offers a glimpse into the modern production and packaging lines for hotpot bases, where the cooling of beef tallow hotpot bases and the packaging of spicy fish seasoning are mechanized marvels that blend precision with tradition.

Descending to the first floor, guests arrive at a vast tasting hall echoing with excited chatter. Long queues form at the tasting stations for spicy hotpot, pickled fish broth, noodles, chicken soup, and mushroom soup.

"It's fascinating to learn the long history of Chongqing hotpot and how every spice plays a role," says Zhao Jiashu, a high school student from Beijing, who visited in October on a week-long study trip.

His class joined a workshop to create personalized sachets, a folk tradition believed to ward off insects and bring good health.

For many students, the highlight was crafting their own mini hotpot bases — packages they proudly took home to cook later with friends and family. "I can't wait to try it after we get back," Zhao says.

Hotpot's origins are elusive, though historical sources suggest it spread through northern China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and became popular nationwide by the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Folklore holds that its modern Chongqing form began among river porters in the late 19th century.

Chongqing is a port city on the Yangtze and Jialing rivers. In the late 19th century, livestock shipped from neighboring Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces supplied prime cuts to wealthier households while offal was discarded or sold cheaply. Porters simmered these scraps with chili oil and wild herbs on the riverbanks, creating the humble ancestor of today's hotpot.

According to Fengtu Shizhi (The Folkways), a folklore magazine published in the 1940s, the first hotpot restaurant in the city was Maji Laozhengxing, owned by two brothers surnamed Ma. Legend has it that the two brothers tasted the dockside stew, saw its business potential, and introduced hotpot to their restaurant in the 1930s.