Liuchu Qiongguo Candy

Liuchu Qiongguo Candy

Liuchu Qiongguo Candy is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Qiongguo Candy is a well-known folk specialty from eastern Shaanxi, particularly famous for that produced in Fenghuangcheng (now Liuchu Town, Fuping County, Weinan City), which has been renowned both in China and abroad for hundreds of years. The Qiongguo Candy from Liuchu Town, Fuping, has a production history of several hundred years. It is made using high-quality well water and premium millet from the ancient town, distilled and fermented with barley malt mash. The mixture is then stirred and filtered, cooked into a paste-like “stove candy” in an iron pot, removed and cooled, and repeatedly stretched and pulled in steam-heated conditions until its color turns from yellow to white like jade. It is then layered with roasted white sesame seeds, along with peanuts, walnuts, rock sugar, white granulated sugar, preserved fruits, dried tangerine peel, and other ingredients in a ceramic jar and stewed over heat. Finally, it is pressed into cakes, sliced into strips, and becomes a fragrant and richly flavored delicacy known as Qiongguo Candy. Thanks to its crisp, sweet, and savory taste, along with its carefully selected ingredients, it has long been a traditional health food known for aiding digestion, nourishing lungs, strengthening the spleen, and tonifying kidneys. Because the candy is sensitive to heat and moisture, it is only produced in small batches during cold weather, making it a rare, natural, green tonic and premium gift for family and friends during traditional holidays and winter. It is also one of the regional flavor specialties chosen and tasted by tourists from home and abroad.

　　Fuping Qiongguo Candy enjoys great renown across the land of Shaanxi and is a well-known local specialty, especially that produced in Liuchu Town, whose fragrance wafts far and wide, celebrated both in China and abroad. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, it has been an annual tribute to the imperial court, boasting a history of hundreds of years.

　　Liuchu Qiongguo Candy is made using the town’s unique high-quality well water, carefully selected premium millet from northern Shaanxi, specially prepared barley malt, roasted white sesame seeds, along with over ten other ingredients such as peanuts, walnuts, rock sugar, white granulated sugar, preserved fruits, and dried tangerine peel. It undergoes 12 processing steps including cooking and fermentation.

　　The millet from northern Shaanxi benefits from exceptional natural conditions, with large diurnal temperature variations that allow for rich nutrient accumulation, high protein content, and abundant vitamins. It is easy to cook, quick to soften, and easily digestible, making it an excellent ingredient for Qiongguo Candy. The white sesame seeds are pure white in color and high in oil content, while the barley malt aids digestion and strengthens the stomach, offering high nutritional value.

　　To make Qiongguo Candy, the unique well water of Liuchu Town, Fuping, is first used with carefully selected premium millet from northern Shaanxi to distill and ferment with barley malt, then stirred and filtered. The mixture is cooked into a paste-like “stove candy” in an iron pot, removed and cooled, and repeatedly stretched and pulled in steam-heated conditions until its color turns from yellow to white like jade. It is then layered with roasted white sesame seeds and other ingredients such as peanuts, walnuts, rock sugar, white granulated sugar, preserved fruits, and dried tangerine peel in a ceramic jar and stewed over heat. Finally, it is pressed into cakes and sliced into strips or pieces, resulting in a richly aromatic and flavorful food called “Qiongguo Candy.” Thanks to its crisp, sweet, and savory taste, along with its carefully selected ingredients and fine craftsmanship, it is a pure natural green tonic that aids digestion, nourishes lungs, strengthens the spleen, and tonifies kidneys after consumption. It is one of the regional flavor specialties chosen and tasted by tourists from home and abroad, as well as a premium gift for family and friends.

　　Speaking of Fuping Qiongguo Candy, there is also a historical legend. During the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, Sun Piyang, who served as Grand Secretary of the Cabinet and Minister of Personnel, once presented Qiongguo Candy as a tribute to Emperor Shenzong, Zhu Yijun.

　　Sun Piyang was from Nanjie, Liuchu, Fuping. Legend has it that Sun Piyang came from a very poor family in his childhood, but he was determined to study hard to serve his country in the future. To avoid distractions and focus on his studies, Sun Piyang secretly moved into an old temple north of the street, where he studied diligently for several years. Time flew, and before he knew it, he had passed his twentieth birthday but remained unmarried. Near Liuchu Town lived a woman who, due to her unattractive appearance, had not been engaged by the age of twenty. Although she was not beautiful, she was intelligent, kind, diligent, gentle, and skillful with her hands. One day, as the woman passed by the temple, she suddenly heard the sound of someone reading aloud inside. She thought to herself, “As the ancients say, generals and ministers come from the countryside, and talented scholars emerge from humble homes.” This person, studying so diligently and quietly, would surely achieve great things in the future, and she began to feel admiration for him. After inquiring, she learned that it was Sun Piyang who was studying inside. The woman went home, told her parents, and arranged a marriage through a matchmaker, eventually marrying the impoverished Sun Piyang.

　　After their marriage, Sun Piyang continued to write poetry, compose prose, and study diligently every night, his ambition undiminished. The woman spun thread, wove cloth, sewed and mended, working tirelessly day and night, always preparing good tea and meals for Sun Piyang and keeping him company as he studied until the fifth watch of the night. Seeing her husband’s unwavering dedication and his gradual physical decline from constant studying, the woman grew very worried, fearing he might harm his health. She tried her best to make meals delicious, sweet, and fragrant, hoping he would eat more. She used barley to make maltose, added millet and sesame to create sesame candy, and served it to Sun Piyang as breakfast and a late-night snack. This sesame candy was crispy, fragrant, sweet, nutritious, and easy to digest. Sun Piyang loved it very much, and the woman made it for him every day.

　　Over time, Sun Piyang’s complexion gradually became rosy, his health improved, his energy increased, and his memory sharpened. Coupled with his diligent studies, he eventually became a high-ranking official. As the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet and Minister of Personnel in the Ming Dynasty, Sun Piyang often asked his wife to make sesame candy for him. This sesame candy is what is now known as Fuping Liuchu Qiongguo Candy. However, over time and with advancements in science and technology, as well as improvements in people’s living standards, the production techniques of Qiongguo Candy have become more refined, and the ingredients have become more nutritionally rich.

　　Liuchu Town in Fuping, known as the “Hometown of Qiongguo Candy,” has transitioned its candy production from traditional family workshops to scaled, standardized, and specialized manufacturing. A hundred producing households generate an annual output value of 20 million yuan, among which 12 have obtained national QS quality certification. Not long ago, Fuping Qiongguo Candy also passed the provincial local standard review and became a geographical indication product. The long-renowned Fuping Qiongguo Candy has seen its reputation and product quality further enhanced, ensuring its special status as a green food product.

　　May Fuping Qiongguo Candy enter every household, fly to all corners of the world, reach Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, and destinations across the globe, allowing the people of our motherland, the sons and daughters of China, and peace-loving people around the world to savor its distinctive flavors.

　　The geographical indication product protection area for Liuchu Qiongguo Candy covers four towns under the jurisdiction of Fuping County, Shaanxi Province: Liuchu Town, Daixian Town, Caocun Town, and Xiaohui Township.