Liyang Zhagan making skills, a traditional skills project in the fourth batch of representative projects of Changzhou's municipal intangible cultural heritage. Liyang Zhagan making skills are popular among the people in Zhushi Town, Liyang City and surrounding areas. According to legend, during the Hongzhi period of the Ming Dynasty, Lu Zheng from Ludali, Zhushi Bridge, Liyang, studied hard and achieved academic success. He went to Beijing to take the imperial examination that year. Before leaving, his mother took the auspicious meaning of "being an official" and used pig's small intestines to wrap around pig liver and other things, and made a bowl of dishes for her son by hand, named "Zhagan". After Lu Zheng ate it, he went to Beijing to take the imperial examination and passed the imperial examination. He became a high-ranking official. 150 years later, in the Gengchen year of the 13th year of the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty (1640), his descendant Lu Yusi also went to Beijing to take the imperial examination. Before leaving, his mother made a bowl of Zhagan for her son as usual. When making Zhagan, the mother thought that the ancestors of the Lu family served as officials, and my son will also serve as an official in the future, so she added a piece of dried bamboo shoots to the pig liver, which meant that he would be promoted to a higher position. After eating Zhagan, Lu Yusi went to Beijing to take the imperial examination and was admitted as a Jinshi and became a high-ranking official. Two Jinshi in one family, Zhagan was passed down for two generations. The story of the Lu family using Zhagan to send people to take the exam and become officials spread like wildfire and became a folk legend. As a result, the dish of "Zhagan means becoming an official" inspired the farming and reading families in the Zhuji Bridge area. "Zhagan, Zhagan, eat it and you will become an official", people followed suit and made Zhagan, hoping that their children and grandchildren would study and become officials. Over time, Zhagan became popular in all parts of Liyang, and then became a traditional custom. In the old days, every cold winter, every household in Liyang would carefully make a few bowls of Zhagan to entertain guests during the New Year and to bring good omens. There is a folk example that even when the new son-in-law comes to the house and all the relatives are enthusiastic about urging him to drink, the mother-in-law, who feels distressed, will let the new son-in-law eat a few bites of Zhagan first to fill his stomach, in case drinking alcohol on an empty stomach hurts his body. The raw materials for making Zhagan are: pork liver, pork belly, fried tofu, dried bamboo shoots, pig intestines, etc., one piece of each raw material, sandwiched with meat and vegetables, and tied with pig intestines. Put the pot on high heat, add cold water, boil the Zhagan, skim off the foam, add ginger slices, old wine, scallion knots, refined salt, soy sauce, and sugar, turn to low heat and simmer for about 90 minutes, remove the scallion knots, add MSG, dry the marinade, and the Zhagan is ready to eat. Liyang Zhagan has both meat and vegetables, is fat but not greasy, rich in nutrition, soft and crisp, crispy, fragrant, delicious, suitable for all ages. It has won the special gold medal in the National Ethnic Cooking Competition and the gold medal in the "Jinxiu Paradise Cup" Cooking Competition of the Yellow Sea Food Culture Festival. In 2008, Liyang Zhagan won the first "Ten Classic Famous Dishes of Liyang". In 2010, after being discovered and sorted out by Quanjuxiang Catering Co., Ltd., the production skills of Liyang Zhagan were rated as "Chinese Famous Dishes". Liyang Zhagan was once a traditional New Year's dish for farmers in Liyang. With the inheritance and evolution of skills, it has now become a traditional delicacy that can be tasted all year round. (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)