Fuzhou: The Revitalization of Time-Honored Brands Enhances Chinese New Year Atmosphere
Bailu introduces unique New Year products, and Tongli creates innovative pork wontons...
The revitalization of time-honored brands enhances Chinese New Year atmosphere
With the Spring Festival drawing near, traditional New Year goods sales in Fuzhou’s major shopping malls have reached their peak, catering to the varied needs of citizens. The smooth operation of the New Year goods market is supported by the hard work of food companies and their dedicated workers, who have been working tirelessly to meet the demand. On the 22nd, the reporter visited several traditional food producers in Minhou to experience the Chinese New Year atmosphere brought by these time-honored brands.
Tourists are selecting products at the Fuzhou Rice Noodles Culture Museum.
“Our fragrant leaf-wrapped brown sugar glutinous rice cake, with its traditional shape and distinctive aroma, is the ‘top seller’ during the festival. Since late December 2024, we have entered the peak production period for New Year goods. Our orders have surged by over 40% compared to the same period last year, with an average daily shipment of around 5,000 kilograms,” said Fan Huasheng, General Manager of Fuzhou Bailu Food Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Bailu”).
Bailu, founded in 1899 and located in the Minhou Economic Development Zone Industrial Park, specializes in producing traditional delicacies such as noodles, dumpling wrappers, rice cakes, zongzi, mixed grain hot drinks, herbal jelly, Chinese New Year glutinous rice cakes, and eight-treasure glutinous rice. In November of last year, the company moved to a new facility with advanced production equipment, expanding its production area to over 7,000 square meters and achieving a daily output capacity of 30,000 kilograms. According to Fan Huasheng, in response to the New Year goods market, the company has expanded its product line to include specialty goods like dried fruits, pot edge paste, and Chaoshan rice noodles, while maintaining its classic offerings, to cater to the diverse needs of different consumer groups.
Fujian Tongli Food Co., Ltd. is operating at full capacity, with more than a hundred workers working overtime to produce Fuzhou’s signature New Year delicacy—pork wontons. These wontons, with their round heads and slender tails, resemble flying swallows and have a translucent, jade-like appearance. They possess a tender yet crisp texture, making them a delightful treat. Symbolizing peace and good fortune, they are a popular gift choice for friends and relatives during the Spring Festival.
A worker is busy making New Year goods at the production workshop of Bailu.
“Currently, many supermarkets and large stores in Fuzhou have significantly increased their orders for pork wontons, with the overall order volume doubling compared to usual,” said Chen Junfan, the fourth-generation inheritor of Tongli Pork Wontons. Tongli Pork Wontons are made using traditional techniques, with just the wonton wrapper alone requiring more than a dozen meticulous steps, including pounding, pressing, rolling, grinding, folding, brushing, sweeping, and cutting, making it a complex and time-consuming process. At present, the company produces around 1,000 kilograms of pork wontons daily. To cater to the diverse dietary preferences of consumers, Tongli Pork Wontons has collaborated with university research teams to innovate and upgrade its products, introducing new varieties such as shrimp wontons, as well as flavors featuring mushrooms, fresh bamboo shoots, and other ingredients. Additionally, Tongli has partnered with KFC to launch a co-branded product, KFC pork wontons.
During the Lunar New Year period, thread noodles are an essential delicacy on the dining tables of Fuzhou people. When it comes to thread noodles, one must mention Puqian Village in Jingxi Town, Minhou County, a well-known hub for thread noodle production. On the 22nd, Lin Bangmu and Chen Yumei, a couple living in Puqian Village, were busy pulling and drying noodles in the open space in front of their home. Lin Bangmu noted that making thread noodles is a meticulous and time-consuming process, requiring 20 intricate steps, including kneading the dough, rolling the strips, threading, pulling, stretching, sun-drying, and twisting. The couple begins their work as early as 2 a.m. each day.
Zheng Chenglin, Party Branch Secretary and Village Committee Director of Puqian Village, told the reporter that Puqian thread noodles are popular among consumers due to their hair-like thinness, soft yet resilient texture, as well as their ability to remain intact when cooked in soup. Currently, the village’s daily output of thread noodles reaches 20,000 kilograms. In August of last year, Puqian thread noodles were introduced to embassies in China, including those of Iraq, Madagascar, Chile, Gabon, and Yemen, becoming the designated food for the Iraqi and Madagascan embassies in China. According to statistics, nearly two hundred households in Puqian Village earn their livelihood by making thread noodles. The annual production of thread noodles reaches over 5 million kilograms, and the annual output value exceeds 100 million yuan. (Fuzhou Evening News Reporter: Chen Muyi, Correspondent: Hou Rongmei, Text/Photo)