Juan Tai Century Egg

Juan Tai Century Egg

　　 Juan Tai has a long history of producing century eggs, spanning several generations. His century eggs are bright in color and delicious in taste, without the strong alkaline flavor typical of ordinary century eggs. Coupled with their reasonable price and mass-market appeal, they are highly favored by locals. It can be said that in Kaixian, the name "Juan Tai" has become a folk brand in the century egg production industry.

　　“Century Egg Production” Passed Down for Generations

　　The person who first made the century egg business well-known was Juan Tai. In fact, Juan Tai passed away 8 years ago at the age of 71, but the signboard bearing his name has been in use ever since. Century eggs, as a food item, have a long history in eastern Sichuan and even across the country. Reporters learned that Juan Tai’s ancestors had already been in this business, and by the time it reached Juan Tai, his keen research skills led him to improve the ingredients, creating a unique recipe that changed the previously dark color and strong alkaline taste of century eggs. According to Tian Xiaoying, Juan Tai’s granddaughter-in-law, her grandfather once traveled to many places to learn techniques to solve technical problems. After returning to Kaixian and experimenting, he still wasn’t satisfied, so he sourced various ingredients and conducted repeated trials at home until he got the results he wanted.

　　The ingredients for “Juan Tai” century eggs are refined: including tung shell ash, cypress branch ash, edible salt, fine sand, etc., then mixed and wrapped with saltwater brewed from Sichuan pepper and tea leaves. Of course, the most important part is the proportion of these various ingredients. Tian Xiaoying smiled and said this is not something that can be casually disclosed — it’s the hard work of her grandfather and the foundation her family relies on for a living.

　　“Century Egg Production” Supports Several Generations

　　Many people in Kaixian know that the “Juan Tai” family, who live on East Street in the old town, have been in this business for many years and have lived quite well thanks to it. Reporters asked in detail about sales and pricing. Tian Xiaoying explained that the business is divided into the first and second half of the year. The first half is mainly for processing — chicken eggs cost 8 fen each and duck eggs 1 jiao each. Business is particularly good in the first half, and even with several people working, they still can’t keep up, averaging more than 2,000 eggs processed per day. Customers only need to bring the eggs, and don’t need to worry about anything else. Some long-time regular customers even skip buying the eggs themselves, simply giving money to the Juan Tai family to purchase them. Some regulars told reporters that they are experts at selecting eggs, often getting better prices and quality than if they bought them themselves.

　　In the second half of the year, due to fewer eggs in the market, the focus shifts to selling finished century eggs, each priced at 1 yuan, with decent sales volume. Tian Xiaoying proudly said, “Some big hotels always include green pepper century egg dishes on their menus, and they basically all buy from my family!” Tian Xiaoying told reporters that they are about to move to a new residential area in the Pingqiao District of the new town. Once in the new town, they plan to find a storefront to continue the century egg business. She said the name “Juan Tai,” her grandfather’s legacy, will continue to be used, and at the right time they also plan to register a trademark — to be called “Juan Tai.”