Li Huizhong

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Li Huizhong, Male, Han, from Hexi, Tianjin, is a fifth-batch national representative bearer of Chuantongmianshizhizuojiyi（guifaxiangshibajiemahuazhizuoji (Ⅷ-160). The tradition is documented in Hexi, Tianjin. Within the regional tradition and school record of Chuantongmianshi Making Craftsmanship in Hexi, Tianjin: As a local specialty of Tianjin and a classic food of the Chinese nation, the Guifaxiang Shibajie mahua traditional manual craft is integrated with regional culture, both strengthening the sense of identity with local culture and serving as a bond of cultural exchange. Born in the early 20th century, the Guifaxiang Shibajie mahua making craft was originally created by Liu Laoba, an artisan in Tianjin who made a living selling mahua at the time; because his shop was located on Shibajie (Eighteenth Street) in Donglou, it came to be called "Shibajie mahua."

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Male, Han ethnicity, born in December 1950 in Shanghe County, Shandong Province. He is a representative bearer of the fifth batch of national intangible cultural heritage projects in traditional flour-based food making craftsmanship (Guifaxiang Shibajie Mahua Making Craftsmanship). He is a technician of Guifaxiang Shibajie mahua making. After being demobilized from the army in March 1971 he put down roots at Guifaxiang, and in the course of his work gradually became familiar with and mastered the craft, acquiring a proficient command of the key techniques of every stage of mahua production. Drawing on professional knowledge, he improved and refined the mahua-making process, helped upgrade the mahua industry, and carried forward the long-renowned craft of making this small fried dough twist; he led Guifaxiang employees in transmitting and innovating, promoting this traditional craft and Chinese culinary culture, while also optimizing enterprise management, renewing equipment and enriching the range of products. Within the documented technical tradition of Chuantongmianshi Making Craftsmanship in Hexi, Tianjin: The Guifaxiang Shibajie mahua making craft is a traditional food-making craft that blends traditional skill with innovative elements and contains multiple process steps; it originated in Hexi District, Tianjin, spread throughout Tianjin, and radiated across the country. Guifaxiang Shibajie mahua comes in many varieties, including loose mahua in flavors such as mung bean, soybean, and corn, as well as gift-box editions suited to giving as presents, and is known for being sweet, fragrant, crisp, and crunchy and for staying non-stale even after long storage. The Guifaxiang Shibajie mahua making craft has the tradition of fine material selection and meticulous craft; masters with rich experience choose main ingredients such as flour, vegetable oil, and white sugar, and add a dozen-odd minor ingredients such as osmanthus, sesame kernels, green-and-red shreds, Fujian ginger, and peanut kernels; through means of hand-feeling, eye-observation, and nose-smelling, they apply traditional processes such as leaven-based fermentation, sugar-simmering to draw syrup, hot-oil scalding for crispness, and sugar-grain filling, and refine into mahua of different flavors through more than 20 key process steps including raising the leaven, simmering sugar, preparing ingredients, making the filling and dough, pressing the strips, cutting the strips, pairing the strips, twisting and shaping, and frying. During production, the size of the oil pastry must be adjusted according to the flour quality, and the amounts of leaven and alkali must be increased or decreased to suit changes in temperature, so as to ensure the input ratio. The distinctive feature of the Guifaxiang Shibajie mahua making craft lies in its twisting-and-shaping process, always adhering to manual operation; each mahua is composed of several fine dough strands, with a crisp filling containing osmanthus, Fujian ginger, and other minor ingredients sandwiched between the white dough strands and the sesame dough strands, then twisted into mahua of beautiful form and bright color in different specifications and sizes. Later, through the efforts of several generations of Guifaxiang people, the mahua-making skill became ever more refined and meticulous, and "Guifaxiang" became even more famous. Tianjin has a long food culture and rich folk culture, giving birth to a rich variety of local specialties; the Guifaxiang Shibajie mahua is one of their representatives and is affectionately hailed by Tianjin's people as one of the "Three Wonders of Tianjin." Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "": "Archival Record of Process Steps": The Guifaxiang Shibajie mahua making craft is a traditional food-making craft that blends traditional skill with innovative elements and contains multiple process steps; it originated in Hexi District, Tianjin, spread throughout Tianjin, and radiated across the country.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2018, Li Huizhong was announced in the fifth batch of national representative bearers for Chuantongmianshi Making Craftsmanship, with Hexi, Tianjin as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Chuantongmianshi Making Craftsmanship in Hexi, Tianjin: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2014 (batch 4), with Hexi, Tianjin as its declared area, and Tianjin Guifaxiangshibajiemahuashipin Co., Ltd. as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Li Huizhong · National Representative Bearer Archive