During the Spring Festival and other traditional holidays, nian gao (meaning rice cake) is an indispensable staple in Wenzhou’s mountainous regions. Among them, the Shunxi Yellow Rice Cake from Pingyang County — a unique variety of alkaline rice cake known locally as fanci— stands out as perhaps the most renowned. Why is that? Let us unravel the story.
Nestled in the rugged mountains of western Pingyang, Shunxi was once a bustling transportation hub and economic heart of the upper Aojiang River. Its location made it a premier distribution center for mountain specialties from across Southern Zhejiang and Northern Fujian. The Shunxi yellow rice cake was among these trading goods, a testament to its storied history. Its signature yellow hue is derived from a traditional Chinese medicinal herb: Gardenia.
Yet, historical records suggest a craft even more ancient than that for the yellow rice cake: the Wuyangshan Fanci (a special nian gao made at Wuyang Mountain) making technique. With origins tracing back to the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty, this municipal-level intangible cultural heritage boasts a history of over 600 years.
Wuyang, known as“ Xizang of Pingyang”, sits in the heart of the mountains at the junction of four counties — Pingyang, Wencheng, Cangnan and Taishun. The Fanci production base directly faces Qipan Mountain, the county’s highest peak at 1,231 meters. The acclaimed flavor of Wuyangshan Fanci is inseparable from its environment: the pristine, sweet spring water from the headwaters of the Aojiang River, and the plump japonica rice harvested from local high-mountain terraces. These elements, combined with natural alkaline extracts from mountain plants like gardenia, form the irreplicable foundation of its unique flavor.
Recently, we visited the Fanci production base in Wuyang and met Mao Qiuhua, an inheritor of this intangible cultural heritage. According to Mao, crafting Wuyangshan Fanci needs precise timing.
The process begins with premium japonica rice, soaked in pristine spring water for just the right duration before being drained and steamed in traditional wooden tubs. The most critical step lies on the addition of natural alkaline water extracted from wild mountain plants like gardenia using centuries-old techniques.