The wheel of history is run over, the rut is the human spiritual civilization left behind after the baptism of time, and the material civilization is the carrier of spiritual civilization. In Fengcheng, Jiangxi, the frozen rice candy of Fengcheng, which has been passed down for thousands of years, carries the laughter and sweat of generations of working people, and records the trajectory of life in this world.
A small piece of frozen rice candy, from the birth of the Land of Fengcheng during the Tang Dynasty, to the twenty-first century to step out of the country to the world, every step is solid and powerful. The people of Fengcheng are determined to develop and innovate frozen rice candy, while inheriting and enriching its inner spirit. Day after day, year after year, a small piece of frozen rice candy has also been transformed into a symbol of nostalgia for the people of Fengcheng.
In the twenty-third year of Zhenguan (649), Emperor Gaozong of Tang ascended the throne and created the reign of Yonghui with the legacy of Zhenguan. At that time, China's products were abundant, Guotai min'an, the frontier was stable, and the materials were heavenly treasures, a prosperous scene. At that time, the present-day Fengcheng in Jiangxi belonged to Hongzhou, Jiangnan Province, and Fengcheng was rich in grain, known as the "Granary of Jiangxi", and the wind and rain were smooth at four o'clock, and the abundance of products was also the location of the Hongzhou kiln site.
During the prosperous Tang Dynasty, social well-being, Hongzhou kiln reached the peak of historical output, which greatly stimulated the economic development of Fengcheng and enriched the lives of the people. Favorable natural factors and material conditions have bred a food that has been passed down through the ages. After the autumn leisure, the simple and frugal working people have no sorrow of natural disasters, no troubles of human disasters, and there is rice left after meals. The dryness of the seasons causes the remaining rice to shrink and dry quickly, and creative people are not willing to waste this dried rice, and frying may make a delicious dish. By chance, after the high temperature of the oil, the rice grains became crisp and refreshing, and one by one the rice grains were like new life, and they were vivid and bright under the creation of the working people.
The white and full rice grains are presented in front of people's eyes, emitting the fragrance of primitive rice mixed with pure tea oil, and entering the heart field with the air. How to eat the scattered rice grains is convenient, sugar plays its role in a timely manner, people use sugar to stick rice grains, to cool, with a knife cut into the desired size, and eat with family and neighbors. At that time, although the people's life was stable but not rich, the new food that came out of the world attracted the working people, since then, the people of Fengcheng steamed glutinous rice into rice after autumn leisure, fried into popcorn and then mixed with rice sugar, cut into small pieces for guests to unravel tea, then called "sugar block", "fried rice candy". With the passage of time, the development of society, the Custom of Cutting Sugar in the New Year that prevails in the folk, has endured for a long time and has been passed down from generation to generation.
During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty (about 1760), there was a brother shop on Fengcheng Street, an Anhui native, surnamed Wang, who operated a point core business, and the business was very good. At the diagonal door of the shop, there is a family surnamed Hu, who has no occupation, sells labor for a living, and sees the business of the Wang family in the city, and cannot help but envy in his heart. The eager Hu often goes to Wang's shop to chat, in fact, secretly observing Wang's operation process. After Hu learned a little skill, he immediately opened the store under the name of "Hu Ji DianXin Shop". After a long time of opening, due to the lack of competitiveness of the products, the business was always unsatisfactory, and Hu shi had to try to increase the variety of products. It was the Spring Festival, and Fengcheng folk used to make their own fried rice candy (dialect: mixing fat). Hu's imitation of folk production methods, and to be transformed and improved, after the successful trial production of products, named "small cut". As a result, Hu Ji Dianxin Store launched its own unique products, strengthened its competitiveness, and the business shifted from depression to prosperity, but it squeezed out the Wang brothers. Since then, "small cuts" have circulated in the market as commodities.
When the Qianlong Emperor went down to Jiangnan, he passed through Fengcheng, and after tasting the small cut, he was immediately overjoyed, and even claimed to be good, praising it as "dangerous and crisp and sweet", and gave it the name "Jiangnan Small Cut". Since then, Fengcheng frozen rice candy has become a royal tribute, becoming a prestigious local specialty of Jiangxi, and enjoying the reputation of one of the "four famous spots" in Jiangxi. Later, Fengcheng frozen rice candy production gradually became a unique industry in Fengcheng, and before liberation, there were dozens of workshops in Fengcheng City that specialized in making small cuts.
In the early days of the Republic of China, small passenger ships from Nanchang to Ganzhou were opened to navigation, and passengers could buy frozen rice candy at Fengcheng Wharf, and the influence of the product gradually expanded. Nanchang merchants come to Fengcheng to purchase frozen rice candy to be transported to Nanchang, often on the passenger ship began to sell, the guests on the ship never refused to freeze rice candy, as long as there is enough money on hand to buy frozen rice candy, always have to buy a little to taste, or take home, taste with the family. Since then, frozen rice candy has occupied the Nanchang market and has begun to spread to the province. Fengcheng frozen rice candy is exported to Changsha, Wuhan, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and even nanyang area, and there are also well-known long-established brands such as "Tianyi Zhai", "Peace" and "Hechang".
On the eve of the founding of the People's Republic of China, in February 1949, Yan Xin, a reporter from the Republic of China Daily, came to Fengcheng Street to interview and wrote a report - "Introduction to Fengcheng's Specialties - Plate Duck and Frozen Rice Candy". According to the fourth edition of the Republic of China Daily on Monday, February 14, 2018, "When you mention the county of Fengcheng, you will think of its specialty plate duck and the famous frozen rice candy in Shanghai and Hong Kong (the locals call it Xiaoche) Fengcheng's food, which has always been based on the production of plate duck and small cuts as the bulk, and the county people also have a nickname called 'frozen rice candy', which may have been famous to readers, such as the Provincial Games!" It is a county as a participating unit, when calling athletes, they are represented by the name of the county, and the name of the representative of Fengcheng is not Fengcheng but 'frozen rice candy', and from here we can deduce that the abundance of its products occupies an important position in the commercial economy..." Once this report was published, it aroused people's curiosity about Fengcheng frozen rice candy nationwide, and Fengcheng frozen rice candy became famous in China.
In the folk, the slogan of "Fengcheng frozen rice candy, Guixi wick cake" has long been circulated, and Fengcheng frozen rice candy has always been a unique external symbol of Fengcheng. This is not to say that outsiders do not make frozen rice candy, but they are always not as good as Fengcheng's "falling mouth melting", so Fengcheng's frozen rice candy can occupy a first-class position in the food factory. Although there are only two kinds of frozen rice candy, it is said that it is only one item of "fire awareness", and outsiders are far less than the people of Fengcheng. And Fengcheng's pastry chef refused to easily pass it on to others, so that Fengcheng frozen rice candy could always maintain a noble position. Every year after the Mid-Autumn Festival (August 16 of the old calendar is the day when frozen rice candy came out), the production of frozen rice candy began, and it was possible until February and March of the following year, and there were many people from afar who came to Toyojo to buy. Frozen rice candy is more marketed in this province, as far as Hong Kong and other places, frozen rice candy as a timely point in the tea party, fragrant and delicious, food can not bear to throw, but also the old calendar year in the New Year gifts of the good.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the food industry in Chengxian County has developed greatly, and Fengcheng frozen rice sugar has been unprecedentedly developed in both the level of technology and the scale of production. In December 1958, the three public-private joint ventures of "Peace", "Hechang" and "Shengli" merged to form Fengcheng Food Factory. When the factory was built, there were 125 workers, the capital was 20175 yuan, and the products were four seasons of cakes, soy products, candy, and beverages.
In 1965, the Provincial Investment Department convened a provincial food industry product appraisal meeting, and the experts believed: "Fengcheng frozen rice sugar, import ablation, food is not greasy, crisp and sweet and fragrant." At the meeting, Fengcheng frozen rice candy was named "Jiangxi Famous Products".
Before the founding of New China, fengcheng county craftsmen, in order to maintain the credibility of their products, used simple symbols and font sizes as commodity marks. After the founding of New China, with the development of industrial production and the increase of varieties, producers or production departments have also made various commodity marks to show local characteristics, but they have not been registered as trademarks. In 1978, the registration of local trademarks was carried out, and in 1979, with the approval of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of the People's Republic of China, Fengcheng Food Factory frozen rice candy registered the trademark "Production Increase Brand", and since then Fengcheng frozen rice candy has embarked on the development path of standardization and institutionalization.
In 1980, it was awarded the quality product certificate issued by the Provincial Economic Commission. In 1981, the Provincial Bureau of Standards issued the frozen rice sugar "Jiangxi Province Enterprise Standard" Ganqiqb6-81 drafted by the factory.
In February 1982, on the TV screen, jiangxi TV news programs included fengcheng food factory producing frozen rice candy. In June of the same year, Fengcheng Frozen Rice Sugar participated in the "National Children's Daily Necessities Exhibition" in Beijing. On the morning of 18 May, when the relevant leaders of the central authorities were reviewing the exhibition, Kang Keqing, chairman of the All-China Women's Federation, went to the Jiangxi exhibition cabinet and stayed for ten minutes, and she pointed her finger at Fengcheng frozen rice candy and said: "I have seen this kind of product, and your current packaging and decoration have been greatly improved." In terms of the materials of the exhibition work summary, Toyojo frozen rice candy is listed as one of the most popular products."
In July 1983, China Tourism Publishing House published the "Guide to Famous Foods in China", and Fengcheng frozen sugar was included in it. In March 1984, the Jiangxi Provincial Science and Technology Information Center and the Jiangxi Institute of Science and Technology Information jointly compiled the "Selected Food Industry Data" and other two books, both of which published articles on Fengcheng frozen rice sugar.
In 1984, Fengcheng frozen rice sugar was awarded the quality product certificate issued by the People's Government of Jiangxi Province. The output of frozen rice sugar has also increased from 200,000-300,000 jin in the early days of the establishment of Fengcheng Food Factory to more than 1 million jin.
On December 11, 1984, the Office of the People's Government of Fengcheng County (approved) Fengfu Banzi (1984) No. 66, after the county mayor met to study, agreed to the food factory report, and added the label of "Jiangxi Fengcheng Frozen Rice Candy".
In the second half of 1984, the Ministry of Light Industry issued a discount loan of 1.1 million yuan to Fengcheng Food Factory for the reconstruction of the frozen rice sugar production line, built a new frozen rice sugar production workshop and warehouse, an area of 3858 square meters, the introduction of manufacturing caramel machinery production line and frozen rice sugar machinery production line each set, frozen rice sugar annual output increased from 1 million jin to 3 million jin.
On November 13, 1985, the Ministry of Light Industry of the People's Republic of China (85) Qingshengzi Document No. 52 issued a high-quality product certificate for frozen rice sugar, and approved the registration of frozen rice sugar as the trademark "Production Increase Brand". Provincial and prefectural party newspapers have repeatedly published reports on the high-quality products of "Fengcheng Frozen Rice Candy". The whole factory has 218 employees, fixed assets of 940,000 yuan, factory area of 14,015 square meters, construction area of 8,605 square meters. Frozen rice sugar production increased to 486 tons in 1985 and was exported to Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Hong Kong.
Editor: WeChat public account - great new Ganshang