Wuxue Crisp Candy

Wuxue Crisp Candy

Wuxue Crisp Candy is a protected geographical indication product.

Wuxue Crisp Candy is a protected geographical indication certification trademark.

　　Wuxue Crisp Candy was originally called Osmanthus Dongtang. Legend has it that a filial son surnamed Dong had a mother who fell ill and refused to eat. He stir-fried flour and mixed it with cane sugar, sesame crumbs, osmanthus, and other ingredients, creating a delicious taste that his mother loved. It was later adapted into the pastry industry, initially named Osmanthus Dongtang. Because people did not understand the meaning of the two characters “Dongtang,” it was renamed Osmanthus Crisp Candy. Osmanthus Crisp Candy is made with strict ingredient selection and careful craftsmanship, characterized by its fragrance, sweetness, crispness, and crunchiness, and also helps relieve coughs and moisten the lungs. The ingredients include sesame crumbs, white sugar, fragrant strips, osmanthus, and others. When eaten, it is sweet and crisp. Although the core is made from maltose syrup, it is light and crispy, melts in the mouth, and does not stick to the teeth. In the early 1980s, this variety was included in the "Hubei Pastries" directory; in September 1983, it was awarded the title of Hubei Provincial Commercial Excellent Famous Traditional Product by the Hubei Provincial Department of Commerce. In recent years, it has won the Gold Award at the China International Food Expo multiple times in a row. Currently, there are twenty to thirty food enterprises mainly producing crisp candy, with larger ones including Meiya, Guangji, Zhenxiong, Desheng, and others. Guangji Crisp Candy Factory has also developed corn crisp candy, which is extremely popular in the market. (Wuxue)

　　Wuxue Crisp Candy is a local traditional specialty product. The city of Wuxue was formerly known as Guangji County, with a long and storied history. Legend has it that during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, in Wuxue Town’s Osmanthus Bridge area, there lived a filial son surnamed Dong who lived with his mother. One autumn day, his mother caught a chill and became bedridden. Due to their poverty, they could not afford medicine, so he roasted and ground sesame seeds, gathered fresh osmanthus from the yard, soaked them in cane sugar, and mixed them with the sesame powder to serve by her bedside. After eating it for several days, his mother’s cough stopped, she recovered, and her eyes became bright, her spirit refreshed, and her mood uplifted—as if a dead tree had come back to life. This story became widely told. People called it “Osmanthus Dongtang,” “Cough-Relieving Essence,” or “Filial Piety Crisp.” Later, after being processed in workshops and refined by generations of pastry masters, it was officially named “crisp candy” in the eighth year of the Daoguang reign during the Qing Dynasty. This is a brief history of Wuxue Crisp Candy. Accompanied by this beautiful legend, Wuxue Crisp Candy has become widely loved and well-known, popular in the regions along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, enduring through time.

　　Wuxue Crisp Candy, originally called Osmanthus Dongtang, was renamed Guangji Crisp Candy because people did not understand the meaning of “Dongtang.” After Guangji County was upgraded to Wuxue City, it became known as Wuxue Crisp Candy. Osmanthus Crisp Candy is made with strict ingredient selection and careful craftsmanship, characterized by its fragrance, sweetness, crispness, and crunchiness, and also helps relieve coughs and moisten the lungs. The ingredients include sesame crumbs, white sugar, fragrant strips, osmanthus, and others. When eaten, it is sweet and crisp. Although the core is made from maltose syrup, it is light and crispy, melts in the mouth, and does not stick to the teeth. In the early 1980s, this variety was included in the "Hubei Pastries" directory; in September 1983, it was awarded the title of Hubei Provincial Commercial Excellent Famous Traditional Product by the Hubei Provincial Department of Commerce. In recent years, it has won the Gold Award at the China International Food Expo multiple times in a row. Currently, there are twenty to thirty food enterprises mainly producing crisp candy, with larger ones including Meiya, Guangji, Zhenxiong, Qisheng, Hengmei, and others. Guangji Crisp Candy Factory has also developed corn crisp candy, which is extremely popular in the market. Wuxue Crisp Candy features a wheat-yellow layered core, is light and crispy, sweet but not greasy, and contains protein, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, zinc, and various other nutrients and trace elements. It is an excellent choice for leisure, travel, and gifting. During the Spring Festival, when visiting relatives, paying New Year calls, or going to friends’ homes, bringing along a box or bag of packaged crisp candy shows thoughtfulness and courtesy. In October 2010, the application for the protection of Wuxue Crisp Candy as a geographical indication product passed expert review by professionals from the China National Institute of Standardization, China Agricultural University, the National Engineering Research Center for Vegetables, Beijing Institute for Drug Control, and others. The experts carefully reviewed and discussed the name, protection scope, product quality characteristics, and the relationship between the product and the local natural and cultural factors. The expert group concluded that the name of Wuxue Crisp Candy is standardized, the scope is clear, it has certain regional characteristics and recognition, and is worthy of protection. The protection scope covers 12 towns and townships within Wuxue City, Hubei Province. After 400 years of development, Wuxue Crisp Candy has entered supermarkets and malls in cities such as Wuhan and Nanchang. Currently, the annual production of Wuxue Crisp Candy exceeds 4,500 tons, with an output value of nearly 100 million yuan and profits and taxes of 5 million yuan. The successful application for the protection of Wuxue Crisp Candy as a geographical indication product not only highlights its regional characteristics and high quality, but also expands opportunities for the growth and strengthening of the Wuxue Crisp Candy industry.

　　Introduction

　　This beautiful and touching story has been passed down through generations in both urban and rural areas of Wuxue, alongside the crisp candy. During the Spring Festival, as Wuxue residents celebrate joyfully, guests performing lotus-picking boat dances or dragon lantern dances refuse money but ask only for the gift of crisp candy. When visitors come to offer New Year greetings, people would rather give them a pack or two of crisp candy than a dollar or two. When relatives and friends visit during the New Year, beaming with joy, some carry the crisp candy in their hands, some in their pockets, and some tucked in their waists. Bringing crisp candy makes one feel proud, and hosts consider it the finest New Year gift. For Wuxue people, no other gift matches crisp candy for celebrating the Spring Festival.

　　Features

　　Crisp candy is a premium nutritious supplement, with a deliciously sweet, fragrant, and crunchy taste. It aids digestion, moistens the lungs, and promotes health and fitness, making it suitable for all ages. It is the best gift to show filial piety to the elderly and a heartfelt gesture. In our family, with an 80-something grandfather and a seven- or eight-year-old great-grandchild, spanning four generations, every Spring Festival we prepare big and small packages of crisp candy. We first offer them to the elders, then to the children. When eating the crisp candy, we first hand it to the elders, then to the children. Everyone holds the candy in their hands, looking at each other—no one wants to be the first to take a bite. In the end, the elders go first. If they decline, the children get to try. Then the children offer it back to the elders. You pass it to me, I stuff it into your hand—the scene is truly touching. Each time we enjoy crisp candy, it becomes a moment of familial love, a display of mutual respect and affection. With laughter and stories of a beautiful life, our hearts feel as sweet as the crisp candy.

　　The production area protected under the Wuxue Crisp Candy geographical indication product includes the current administrative region of Wuxue City, Hubei Province.