The small Taicang town of Shuangfeng in Jiangsu province has a deep-rooted culture of enjoying mutton dishes on particularly cold winter days.

Arguably the best way to experience the culture is at the Shuangfeng mutton festival. The eighth kicked off on Dec 20, offering visitors a look into the town's proud culinary culture.

Shuangfeng mutton has earned a reputation for its tender taste, marbled texture, rich flavors and thick soap. Legend has it that Chef Meng opened a noodle restaurant in Shuangfeng town around 100 years ago and single-handedly made mutton noodles the town's specialty.

The town is lined with eateries offering a variety of mutton dishes.

Mutton dishes can be found aplenty in Shuangfeng town, Taicang. [Photo from Taicang Daily]

Dozens of restaurants competed in a cooking competition on the waterside terrace at the town's Gorgeous Phoenix Resort, as part of the festival.

Visitors marveled at the complexity of some of the cooking skills demonstrated during the competition and were inspired by the innovative cooking methods. Free mutton meals were offered on the day.

Mutton dishes on display in Taicang. [Photo from Taicang Daily]

On the sidelines of the festival was an angling event and a seeding session for a reality show produced by Shanghai's Dragon Television.

A performance staged by Shanghai Farce Troupe and Shanghai Yue Opera Theater concluded the festival.

Edited by Jacob Hooson