Going global

This same spirit has fueled the rapid growth of the Shaxian snack industry. The people of Shaxian see bianrou (minced pork dumplings) as the "bricks" and the tossed noodles as the "steel beams" that have, together, built the skyscrapers of their hometown.

Their hard work has helped spread the popularity of their cuisine nationwide.

Yu Ziyan, deputy director of the education and training office at the Shaxian snack industry development center, explains that early Shaxian snack shops were small family-run businesses.

Owners managed everything themselves, working tirelessly from dawn to dusk. They embraced the saying, "one yuan to enter, two yuan to eat enough, three yuan to eat well", and leveraged their networks of relatives and neighbors to expand the Shaxian snack industry nationwide.

Government support helped the industry grow further. Standards for production, culinary expertise, and store operations were established, and brand management systems now authorize thousands of stores online.

A Shaxian snack industry demonstration park hosts 26 related enterprises, creating more than 1,200 jobs. Local contract farming and the large-scale cultivation of ingredients, such as medicinal herbs and edible fungi, involve 20,000 farmers, ensuring a stable supply of raw materials.

The Shaxian snack trademark is now registered in 75 countries and regions, with 238 overseas outlets. "The market abroad is strong," Yu says.

In France, the first store opened in 2018 and drew many locals; in the United States, the first store sold out a day's ingredients in under three hours; and in Tokyo, the first store earned over 10,000 yuan ($1,400) in five hours, Yu says.

In May, the first Middle East flagship store opened in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, attracting members of the royal family, who observed the cooking process and sampled dishes such as tossed noodles and steamed beef dumplings.

On opening day, the store saw sales of more than 50,000 yuan, with all handmade items sold out. Buoyed by this success, store owner Zhang Shichao plans to open 20 more stores in Saudi Arabia within three years.

Yu concludes: "I hope that more friends like Zhang Shichao, who love Shaxian snacks and their hometown, will join this 'going global' initiative, allowing more international friends to taste authentic Shaxian cuisine."