Heshi Handmade Noodles

Heshi Handmade Noodles

Heshi Handmade Noodles are a protected geographical indication product.

　　Heshi handmade hanging noodles are as fine as hair strands, rich in nutrition, beneficial to the spleen and stomach, smooth and silky in texture with a unique flavor. They are tender, delicious, and retain their freshness even after reheating—making them a premium choice among noodle dishes.

　　Heshi Town in Yibin County lies on the scenic Yuexi River at the source of the Yangtze River. This ancient town, once a post station, gained widespread acclaim for a folk craft: Heshi handmade noodles. These noodles won a silver medal at the 1986 World Expo and are now listed as an intangible cultural heritage. This ancient handicraft technique boasts a history of over 200 years.

　　Yibin Heshi handmade noodles must use specially milled northern flour, water from underground springs in Heshi, along with auxiliary ingredients such as free-range eggs, vegetable oil, and edible salt. The entire process is meticulously handcrafted, taking 36 hours from flour to finished product and involving 24 different steps, none of which involve machinery except for packaging. No alkaline substances are added. The noodles are as fine as hair strands, rich in nutrition, beneficial to the spleen and stomach, smooth and silky in texture with a unique flavor. They are tender, delicious, and retain their freshness even after reheating—making them a premium choice among noodle dishes.

　　From flour to final product, Heshi handmade noodles go through 24 procedures, with the 13 main steps outlined as follows:

　　1. Kneading the dough: Properly mix the flour and auxiliary ingredients, then knead the dough evenly. At least two people are needed to continuously fold and knead the dough in a basin for at least an hour and a half. After kneading, sprinkle a layer of dry flour on top to prevent sticking to the wooden basin. Cover the dough and let it ferment for several hours.

　　2. Cutting strips: Once the dough has rested and become as smooth as a steamed bun, divide the large dough ball into smaller portions.

　　3. Rolling large strips: Roll the smaller dough pieces into strips less than 10 cm in diameter and place them in a wooden basin (after this step, wait about three hours before proceeding to the next).

　　4. Stretching medium strips: Take the large strips that have been resting in the basin for three hours and roll them into strips about the size of a mineral water bottle cap. While rolling, continuously flick them against the work surface. During this process, connect all the large strips to ensure the resulting medium strips form one continuous piece. Then coil them in a tray and let them rest for an hour or two before moving on.

　　5. Stretching small strips: Roll the medium strips from the tray into finger-sized strands, then wind them back into the basin with a bottle placed in the center (serving as an axis). These small strips stretch nearly a thousand meters long without any joints, forming one continuous strand. After stretching, the small strips rest in the basin for six hours before the next step.

　　6. Twisting onto sticks: Twist the small strips in the basin into a Z-shaped, braided form and wind them onto two bamboo sticks. This step usually begins around midnight.

　　7. Soaking in trough: Hang the coiled small strips over a trough (this step is done simultaneously with the previous one, and after completion, another hour or so is needed before the next step).

　　8. Dusting with flour: Sprinkle dry flour on the trough-soaked noodles, then stretch them to prevent sticking.

　　9. This step is also called soaking in trough: Place the floured noodles back into the trough. By this time, it’s around 5 a.m., allowing the noodle makers to take a short rest until the next morning.

　　10. Stretching the noodles: Stretch a noodle that is as thick as a finger and 50 cm long to a length of nine meters and as fine as silk. First, take the noodles out of the trough and hang them on the stretching rack. One maker holds the top to keep it steady while another pulls from the bottom, first to about four meters, then hands the sticks to the upper maker who hangs them back on the rack. The lower maker then places two sticks in the middle and continues stretching.

　　11. Drying and collecting: Handmade noodles depend on the weather—if it rains, production halts. Many modern handmade noodles are dried in ovens, making them brittle and prone to breaking when cooked, with poor texture. Sun-dried Heshi noodles don’t have this problem.

　　12. Cutting: Measure the desired length, score the noodles with a knife, then cut them.

　　13. Packaging the finished product.

　　Because they are handmade, the composition of the flour remains unaltered. Heshi handmade noodles are fine and hollow, rich in nutrients, smooth and silky, flavorful, resistant to overcooking without sticking or breaking, and do not cloud the broth. These unique qualities make them the finest among noodle dishes, earning widespread acclaim and making them a unique traditional product in southern Sichuan.

　　Heshi handmade noodles truly gained national recognition in the 1990s through the early 2000s. Manufacturers retained traditional production methods while refining the packaging, registering trademarks, and launching multiple brands such as Yuehua and Xiangguo. In 2003, Heshi handmade noodles obtained provincial pollution-free food certification and were recognized as pollution-free products after testing by the National Agricultural Products Quality Supervision and Inspection Center. They were well received by consumers at the 2002 Western China “Agricultural Expo” and the 2003 and 2004 “Western Fair” and “Xiamen Expo.”

　　Currently, there are seven handmade noodle producers in Heshi Town, including Yibin County Heshi Town Yuehua Handmade Noodle Factory and Yibin County Heshi Town Xiangguo Food Co., Ltd. There are 23 noodle-making masters, only four of whom are young adults, while the remaining 19 are seniors aged over 60. Since the techniques are passed down through hands-on teaching and most skilled artisans are elderly, there is a serious risk of these skills dying out. Urgent measures are needed to protect and preserve this traditional craft for future generations.

　　The production area of Heshi handmade noodles covers the administrative regions of four towns in Yibin County, Sichuan Province: Heshi, Gulu, Liujia, and Guanyin.

　　"Letter from the People’s Government of Yibin County on Defining the Geographical Indication Product Protection Area for Handmade Noodles in Heshi Town," Yixian Fu Han [2015] No. 133

　　Sichuan (Regional) Local Standard: DB511500/T55-2015

　　"Heshi Handmade Noodles Processing Technical Specifications"