Luocheng Handmade Rice Noodles

Luocheng Handmade Rice Noodles

　　Wanzai’s Luocheng handmade rice noodles have long been renowned for their silvery-white color, tender yet resilient texture, and smooth mouthfeel. The production of these handmade noodles can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty, boasting a long history.

　　In the old days, the traditional craft of making rice noodles depended entirely on water flow and water-powered trip hammers. The two natural villages of Shangdui and Xinjia in Liming Village, Luocheng, are not only located by the Taixi River but also feature a water-powered trip hammer workshop with twelve pounding mortars. Next to the workshop lies a large sandy shoal formed by gravel deposits—ideal for drying the noodles—making this area the most famous spot for rice noodle production in Luocheng in the past. During the 1940s, due to war and turmoil, people struggled to survive, and the handmade rice noodle industry in Luocheng nearly came to a halt. After liberation, noodle workshops gradually resumed operations.

　　At that time, there was one noodle workshop each in Liming Village and Luocheng Village, both run collectively. They generally engaged only in processing raw materials on commission and did not sell products directly. However, during the “Cultural Revolution,” Luocheng handmade rice noodles were labeled as a “capitalist tail” and were suppressed. After the reform and opening-up, many local households started setting up noodle processing workshops. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the region maintained its ancient traditional noodle-making techniques. Since 2003, along both banks of the Taixi River from Shangjiatian in Luocheng Village to Luzhou Village, there have been nearly 200 rice noodle workshops. These produce one million kilograms of handmade rice noodles annually, generating over 600,000 yuan in income. The products are sold as far as Yichun, Nanchang, Guangdong, Shandong, Shanghai, and other regions.