Guangshui Kuimian

Guangshui Kuimian

　　Guangshui Kuimian is a specialty of Guangshui City, Suizhou, Hubei Province. Also known as Yingshan Kuimian, it was once honored in legends as “Silver Thread Tribute Noodles.” It is favored by consumers for its “white color, fine strands, non-sticky texture, and clarity in broth.”

　　Guangshui City was formerly known as Yingshan County. Over the long span of history, the clever and industrious people of Yingshan created a series of delicious foods, among which Yingshan Kuimian is one. Legend has it that during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, Wu Taisheng, a native of Yingshan, learned the craft of making hung noodles in Kuizhou, Sichuan. He returned to Yingshan with his wife, Lady Kui, and opened a noodle shop in Caojie under the trade name “Wu Taisheng” to make a living. Since the noodle-making technique was passed down from his wife’s family, the product was named “Kui Noodles” (Kui meaning “lady” or “wife”). After several generations of dedicated management and continuous craftsmanship innovation by the Wu family, by the end of the Qing Dynasty, the business had grown considerably and gained some fame. In 1905, after the Beijing-Hankou Railway was completed and opened to traffic, Li Hongzhang, a high-ranking court official, inspected Huguang and passed through Yingshan. The local magistrate purchased more than ten dan (a unit of weight) of “Kui Noodles” to offer as a gift. Li Hongzhang brought them back to Beijing and presented them to Empress Dowager Cixi as a regional specialty. Upon tasting them, Cixi spoke highly of the noodles. From then on, “Kui Noodles” were regarded as imperial food and became widely renowned. Hence, the nickname “Silver Thread Tribute Noodles” arose, and “Yingshan Kuimian” enjoyed great prosperity for a time.

　　The production process of the Wu family’s “Yingshan Kuimian” is rigorous. The general procedure involves using 30 jin (approximately 15 kg) of flour, over 10 jin (around 5 kg) of water, 4 liang (about 200 g) of salt, 2 liang (about 100 g) of sesame oil, and the whites of 20 eggs. The dough is mixed starting at 8 PM until it makes a drum-like sound when slapped. Then it is covered with a damp cloth to rest for one hour. At 9:30 PM, the rested dough is placed on a wooden board and rolled out to a thickness of three centimeters. The dough is then cut into strips that appear like coiling dragons. Next, the noodles are stretched and rounded, placed in a basin shaped like a straw hat, then stretched and rounded again into another basin, before finally being returned to the mixing basin. Once the dough is cut on the board, two people work together—one primarily stretching and looping the noodles back and forth across the board like dragons, adjusting their thickness from thick to thin as desired. By around 11 PM, the noodles are coiled back into the basin, covered with a damp cloth, and allowed to rest again. During the mixing, techniques and pressure are varied consistently and firmly. While resting, the noodle basin is covered tightly with a warm cotton cloth to maintain moisture, warmth, and protect against wind and dust. Around 4 AM the next day, the noodles are transferred onto sticks and arranged in boxes—that is, the strip-like noodles, as thick as earthy chopsticks, are moved into noodle boxes, then separated, and the divided noodles are moved into boxes again. This process is generally completed by around 8 AM. The noodles rest until 10 AM, after which they are taken out, air-dried, and packaged for sale.

　　Guangshui Kuijia Food Co., Ltd. is an emerging private enterprise in Guangshui City, established in July 2000. It operates a production line capable of producing 50 tons of graded flour per day, a low-temperature cable-style refined flour production line, and a traditional workshop for making “Hollow Kuimian.” The company mainly produces over 20 products including “Kuijia” brand refined hung noodles, multi-flavor nutritious hung noodles, “Kui” brand hollow kuimian, and graded flour. These products are known for their white color, fine strands, non-sticky texture, and clarity in broth, earning widespread consumer acclaim. The product series was awarded the Gold Award for “China Famous Brand Food” at the 6th China International Food Expo. The company has built a solid sales network, with its products sold in over 60 provinces and cities including Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangdong, and Chongqing. The “Kuijia” brand kuimian, offering premium quality at mid-range prices, has entered supermarkets in large and medium-sized cities such as Wuhan and Guangzhou, where demand exceeds supply.