Xue Family Pastry

Xue Family Pastry

　　Xue Family Pastry

　　Commonly known as “oil crisp pastry” or “Stone Pagoda Pastry,” it earned its name because the pastry makers lived at the foot of the Zhao County Dhāraṇī Pillar (commonly called the Stone Pagoda).

　　It is a unique snack in Zhao County.

　　As a local specialty, it has been passed down through eight generations of the Xue Liyi family in Shita Village, Zhao County, boasting a history of more than 100 years. Nowadays, descendants of the Xue family in Zhao County are striving to apply for recognition as a Time-Honored Chinese Brand. Although the scale of “Xue Family Pastry” is not yet very large, this effort by the Xue descendants provides a meaningful approach to preserving traditional folk brands. Old Xue — the eighth-generation inheritor of “Xue Family Pastry” — aims to apply for the title of “Century-Old Brand.”

　　This pastry, commonly known as “oil crisp pastry” or “Stone Pagoda Pastry,” gets its name because the pastry makers lived at the foot of the Zhaozhou Dhāraṇī Pillar (commonly called the Stone Pagoda). It is a unique snack in Zhao County, passed down through eight generations of the Xue Liyi family in Shita Village, with a history of over 100 years.

　　Legend has it that in the third year of the Xianfeng Emperor during the Qing Dynasty, the Taiping Army invaded Zhaozhou from Baixiang. During intense street fighting with Qing troops, a wounded Taiping soldier collapsed at the entrance of the Xue family home. The Xue family was a prominent household in town, known for their sense of propriety. Moved by his pain and bravery, the family secretly treated him at home. This soldier had originally been an imperial pastry chef for Hong Xiuquan and possessed exceptional skills in making pastries. He passed on his craft to the Xue family, transforming what was once a banquet delicacy of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom into the Xue Family Pastry we enjoy today.