Abstract: In long-period-perspective terms, noodles (including other dough foods prepared in other ways) fall far behind other rice foods of similar shape in popularity due to quality of wheat. Located on the edge of the wheat belt, Yunnan had never paid much attention to growing wheat, whose yield had remained far behind those of rice and beans, until the modern years when introduction of seed selection, breeding, flour grinding, noodle production and other techniques began to win a decent market share for wheat in its competition with other sideline crops. Ever since then, noodles have been playing a rising role in the diet of the people of Yunnan, whose wisdom and hard work boosted not only noodles production, but also the whole related industry chain. The Korean broadcasting network KBS, however, mistakes mixian (a noodle-shaped local rice food) as wheat noodles in its documentary The Road of Noodles, a preset situation where the enthusiasm of producing and consuming noodles of the people of Yunnan sinks into oblivion. Doubtless wheat noodles play a big role on Yunnan table and the exploration and practice happening in the wheat producing area of Yunnan connecting with the “Road of Noodles” cannot be obscured by stronger discourse.

Key words: wheat producing area of Yunnan, wheat grinding technique, noodle producing experience, noodles, culinary culture circle