Heated battle over rights to spicy Shangxin Liangfen

Many tourists to Chengdu and Chongqing are impressed by a famous spicy local food called shangxin liangfen. But that popularity has led to a heated battle between restaurants in the two cities over the right to use the name.

The food is usually made of green bean powder or sweet potato powder. Its name literally means "heartbreak jelly" because it is so spicy that people are said to burst into tears when eating it.

In 1999, Yang Ming and his wife Lin Yuanmei opened a restaurant in Luodai town, a tourism destination in the suburbs of Chengdu. They also have another restaurant in the tourist town Ciqikou in nearby Chongqing.