Xinghua Rice Noodles

Xinghua Rice Noodles

Xinghua Rice Noodles is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　Xinghua Rice Noodles are one of Putian’s top ten city business cards, with a long history that dates back to the Song Dynasty, making them one of China’s earliest fast foods. They are made from high-grade rice using traditional techniques. The resulting noodles are fine as silk, snow-white and translucent, uniformly tough and not easily broken, and of superior quality. Types include Xinghua fine rice noodles, silver-thread rice noodles, quick-cooking rice noodles, and thick rice noodles. They are convenient to prepare—steamed, stir-fried, or boiled—and suitable for all ages. They also offer good dietary therapy benefits for colds, appendicitis, and diabetes, making them an excellent gift item. Deeply loved by overseas Chinese, they enjoy widespread fame.

　　In January 2009, "Licheng District Xinghua Rice Noodles" was listed by the Putian Municipal People's Government as part of the second batch of Putian Municipal Intangible Cultural Heritage.

　　Xinghua Rice Noodles are a traditional specialty of Putian. According to "Xinghua Cuisine": One legend says that during the Xining era of the Northern Song Dynasty, Li Zhen, the chief clerk of Xinghua Prefecture, assisted Qian Siniang in building the Mulan Dam. Working day and night, he had no time to care for his ill mother. To fulfill his filial duty, he sent someone from his hometown in Pantuo County, Guangdong, to fetch noodle-making tools and hired a master to produce rice noodles for his mother in Quxi Village, Quqiao, Putian. Later, many began learning to make rice noodles, and it was said there were ninety-nine mills in Yangwei Village, showing the scale of production—but the manual process was backward, resulting in coarse noodles. During the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty (1862–1874), due to local conflicts, Yangwei Village was ransacked. The Li descendants moved to Qingpu Village (now Qingqian, Qingzhong, and Qinghou), Huangshi Town, and Xihong Village to continue making rice noodles for a living, ensuring the enduring popularity of Xinghua Rice Noodles. Another legend says that in the first year of the Jiayou era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1064), Qian Siniang from Changle raised funds to build the dam in Putian. During the construction of the Mulan Dam, the chosen site had high terrain and a narrow stream, with turbulent water on the left and slow flow on the right. To complete the dam before the flood season, thousands of workers labored tirelessly. Moved by their efforts, the prefect of Xinghua Military Command devised a method: soaking rice, grinding it into paste, pressing it into dough, steaming it, and then extruding it through a special tube to create rice noodles for the workers.

　　Xinghua Rice Noodles from Putian, fine as silk and snow-white and translucent, have long been a popular gift for friends and relatives and a delicacy for banquets. For example, in the lunar eighth month, it is customary in Puxian folk culture to "send autumn" gifts. Married daughters prepare a “tray of gifts” to visit their parents, and one of the fixed return gifts from parents is Xinghua Rice Noodles. On the Mid-Autumn Festival night, the dish “taro braised with stir-fried rice noodles” is indispensable, symbolizing that eating the noodles will grant one a long life, with hair and beard as white as the noodles.

　　Xinghua Rice Noodles not only have rich local cultural significance and deep historical roots but also carry romantic folk legends. It is said that during the Jingtai era of the Ming Dynasty, a skilled noodle-making woman from Kuokou in the suburbs admired the literary talent of scholar Dai Dabin. One day, when she learned Dai would buy noodles at Kuokou, she composed a riddle couplet at the bridgehead: “Eight cuts divide the rice noodles,” and declared that whoever solved it could marry her. Dai Dabin, puzzled by the wordplay, left dejectedly after failing to solve it. As he crossed the bridge, the sound of bells from Meifeng Temple in Putian inspired him to answer with “A thousand miles weigh a golden bell.” But by the time he returned, the woman, despairing that even the great scholar couldn’t solve it, jumped into the Mulan River from the bridge.

　　This beautiful legend also proves the long-standing heritage of Xinghua Rice Noodles craftsmanship.

　　As a traditional handicraft of Putian, Xinghua Rice Noodle production was mainly centered in Xihong and Qingjiang villages of Huangshi Town, Putian County, followed by Xiadi, Xili, Huishang, Huixia, and Zhanglin and Yangcheng villages of Quqiao Township, with scattered production elsewhere in the city. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, most operations were individual or joint households. Post-agricultural collectivization, production was mostly managed collectively by production teams. At one point, Xihong Village in Huangshi Town had over 700 noodle workshops, making Xihong Rice Noodles widely renowned, with products sold across regions. Exports began in the early 1950s, reaching 237 tons in 1962 with a value of over 300,000 yuan. By the mid-1970s, annual exports averaged around 200 tons. In August 1977, the Huangshi Rice Noodle Factory was established, covering 15,400 square meters with a built-up area of 6,340 square meters and 19 sets of production machinery. It produced a range of products including Xinghua fine rice noodles, silver-thread rice noodles, quick-cooking rice noodles, and thick rice noodles, yielding 1,500 tons annually, with 80% exported to over 10 countries and regions including Southeast Asia, the U.S., Japan, France, and Canada. After 1979, production increased with the growth of the commodity economy. In 1980, Huangshi Town launched the “Egret” brand rice noodles, which were exported to Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Europe. From 1982, factories shifted from manual to mechanical production, significantly increasing exports—from 513 tons and 740,000 yuan in 1982 to 799 tons in 1983. The “Egret” brand Xinghua fine rice noodles received an honorary certificate from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, while the “Egret” brand silver-thread rice noodles were named a quality product by the Ministry of Light Industry. In 1985, technological upgrades expanded production capacity, forming a complete process from rice washing to milling, steaming, pressing, washing, sorting, and packaging. In 1988, the “Egret” brand silver-thread rice noodles won a silver award at the first National Food Expo. In 1990, annual output reached 781 tons with a value of 1.4 million yuan. Today, there are over 60 noodle processing factories producing 11,000 tons annually, with a value of 51 million yuan. By 2009, Xihong Village alone processed over 20,000 tons, generating over 100 million yuan in output. Xinghua Rice Noodles are sold nationwide and exported to Japan, Singapore, the U.S., and Africa.

　　Currently, Xinghua Rice Noodle workshops are spread across Putian’s plains, coastal areas, and mountainous regions. There are 1,800 noodle workshops, mostly joint households, with over 600 in Huangshi Xihong alone. The village employs over 3,000 people in the industry, with more than 300 households specializing in production and trade, forming 96 cooperatives. Since reform and opening up, sales have expanded, with over 10,000 tons processed and exported annually, accounting for 96% of the village’s income. Workshops have also been established in Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Guangdong, and Guangxi, with recent operations in Shenzhen supplying Hong Kong, Macau, and Southeast Asia. Today, products reach Europe, the Americas, and are especially beloved by overseas Chinese visiting their hometowns, becoming an iconic food for nostalgia and a representative delicacy of Putian’s culinary culture with deep cultural meaning.

　　Production has shifted from manual labor to semi-mechanized household workshops, giving rise to brands like “Laikangjia Rice Noodles,” “Atou Rice Noodles,” and “Ashu Rice Noodles” from workshops such as Laikangjia, Longfeng, and Xiashu.

　　Xinghua Rice Noodles are made from premium rice, with yellow-pointed rice being the best. The process involves nine steps using traditional techniques. Key steps include: selecting high-quality white rice (avoiding early-season rice with poor starch quality); soaking and washing the rice for 20–30 minutes (shorter in summer); grinding soaked rice into fine powder mixed with leftover “powder mash”; kneading the mixture into dough; pressing coarse strands through a 10mm sieve; steaming the dough; extruding fine strands through a perforated tube; drying by airing or boiling; and sun-drying or hanging to dry. The final product is tied with straw, resulting in delicious, durable, and portable noodles. This ancient fast food not only fed dam workers but also spread widely, evolving into an art form cherished through generations.

　　Xinghua Rice Noodles can be blanched, boiled, fried, or stir-fried, with the “stir-fried silver threads” method being the most celebrated. Legend says the stir-fried noodles from Auntie Twenty-Eight’s home on Zhengjiamen in Putian’s Cross Street were famous for centuries, drawing visitors eager to taste and praise them.

　　Traditional Cooking Methods for Xinghua Rice Noodles:

　　1. Stir-Fried Noodles: Heat peanut oil in a pan, sauté onions, garlic, and ginger, then add shredded meat, mushrooms, shrimp, and greens. Pour in bone broth and seasonings, bring to a boil, add noodles, stir-fry over high heat until the sauce thickens, finish with chives and sesame oil, and garnish with scallions.

　　2. Scallion Rice Noodles: A home remedy for colds, made with scallions, ginger, and fermented black beans sautéed in peanut oil (“three-part soup”) served with noodles.

　　3. Soy Milk Noodles: A popular breakfast, combining soy milk with rice noodles, often eaten with fried dough sticks or taro cakes.

　　4. Stir-Fried Soy Milk Noodles: Softened noodles are mixed with seasonings, steamed briefly, topped with peanuts and topped with Chinese toon oil for a flavorful, economical night or morning snack.

　　5. Mixed Noodles: Broken rice noodles (“rice crumbs”) and broken wheat vermicelli (“noodle crumbs”) are cooked with pork blood, oysters, celery, and dissolved sweet potato starch. Topped with fried peanuts, this rustic dish is known as “mixed noodles” or “bean soup,” served at weddings, New Year rituals, and family gatherings.

　　The traditional craft of Xinghua Rice Noodles holds a significant place in China’s food history, encompassing studies in food science, nutrition, storage, customs, and heritage, with important cultural and economic value.

　　Xinghua Rice Noodles are white, fine, delicious, and highly portable, suitable for home use or gifting. They offer therapeutic benefits for colds, appendicitis, and diabetes, making them a renowned Putian specialty exported to Southeast Asia, Japan, the U.S., the U.K., and Canada, beloved by overseas Chinese. Efforts in Xihong Village to preserve traditional production techniques play a vital role in safeguarding culinary heritage, boosting local economies, and fostering social harmony.