Guopumijian Making Craftsmanship
01 · Historical Records
The source of the Beijing candied fruit line lies in the sugar preservation of northern fruits. In the early Qing, candied and preserved fruit was still a household sideline; between the Ming and Qing dynasties it gradually became a specialised trade because of palace purchasing, and the artisans changed their methods several times before fixing the order of selecting the material, cutting, fermenting for aroma, sugar-processing and drying. The apricots, plums, crab apples and cherries produced in Huairou, Beijing, have thick flesh and plenty of sugar, making them good material for sugar preservation. At that time preserved fruit was both a regular offering in the palace and a respectable way to treat guests at festivals in the markets; it was inexpensive and the finished product translucent, so this trade was always a solid livelihood in the city of Beijing.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The traditional craft of making Beijing candied fruit is a traditional food-making technique that has grown out of northern candied fruit production and been transmitted to the present day; it has a history of more than 300 years and is found mainly in the Beijing area, radiating to the surrounding regions. Beijing and its surrounding areas are rich in forest and fruit resources and have a long history of cultivation; Huairou District in Beijing in particular abounds in apricots, plums, crab apples and cherries of fine quality, which provide superior raw material for making candied fruit. The traditional craft of making Beijing candied fruit includes eight stages - selecting the material, preliminary processing of the raw fruit, washing and colour protection, fermenting for aroma, making maltose syrup, sugar-processing, drying and shaping the finished product - making 29 process steps in all. Cutting emphasises 'cutting in a single stroke', loading into the sugar emphasises 'ladling before the pan', dissolving the sugar emphasises 'lifting the spoon in a thread, dipping the spoon without sticking', and moving the fruit emphasises 'one pan, one vat'. The making of Beijing candied fruit is rigorously executed. Taking apple preserves as an example: first, the selection of material is strict and fine, with requirements on the variety, ripeness, size and sugar content of the fresh fruit; second, the technique and recipe are distinctive, since both the fruit pulp used in the aroma-fermentation stage and the maltose syrup used in boiling are prepared according to a proprietary formula; third, the processing tools and techniques are special, with a whole set of particular cutting and peeling requirements in preliminary processing, and the use of tools and techniques that do not discolour or oxidise easily in colour protection and making; fourth, the requirements of the traditional craft are maintained, such as 'peeling off the skin cleanly without taking flesh' and adding the cold syrup in three pours. The finished Beijing candied fruit is bright and translucent with a balanced sweet-and-sour taste; it is chewy in the mouth and full of fruit aroma, with the characteristics of 'translucency, brightness, aroma, chewiness, cleanliness and evenness'. The most representative are apple preserves and apricot preserves, which are semi-transparent amber in colour and crystal-clear, with a natural, rich fruit aroma when smelled and a sweet aftertaste. The traditional craft of making Beijing candied fruit builds on Chinese traditional candied-fruit making techniques, taking fruits peculiar to the north as its main material; it is a food-making craft that was fixed after several rounds of evolution and improvement from the folk level to the palace through the Ming and Qing dynasties. The traditional candied-fruit making craft has been transmitted to the present through master-apprentice teaching. At the same time, Beijing candied fruit has become one of the calling cards of Beijing's food culture, playing a role in creating employment, promoting industrial development and cultural exchange.
Archival Records of Process Steps
The traditional craft of making Beijing candied fruit includes eight stages - selecting the material, preliminary processing of the raw fruit, washing and colour protection, fermenting for aroma, making maltose syrup, sugar-processing, drying and shaping the finished product - making 29 process steps in all.
Cutting in one stroke
Fruit for candying is cut in a single stroke so the slices stay square and even; uneven thickness means uneven sugaring, and the skill lives entirely in the wrist over many years.
Ladling before loading
The syrup is first stirred smooth and the fruit turned against the side of the pan to coat it before the real boiling begins; haste here leaves the outside sweet and the inside bland.
Lifting the spoon in a thread
The test for the syrup is to lift the spoon: a fine unbroken thread falling from its edge shows it is ready, while a mass or a drawn strand means the heat has gone too far.
Fermentation and three pours of cold syrup
The fruit is first fermented with a pulp made to each maker's formula; when the cold syrup is poured in, it must go in three times, or the flesh turns sweet only at the surface and collapses within.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The traditional craft of making Beijing candied fruit is found mainly in the Beijing area; Huairou District is both a source of fresh fruit and the place where the technique shows its greatest skill, and fresh fruit from the surrounding area is for the most part gathered there. Further out, the fruit-processing factories and workshops of Beijing and the Hebei area each take their material and make preserves according to their own house rules, with broadly the same process steps but slightly different recipes. The apple preserves and apricot preserves produced there best show the skill: semi-transparent and amber in colour, with a natural fruit aroma when smelled and a sweet aftertaste, quite unlike the candied fruit sold on the market, so that they are shipped north and south without their reputation changing.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Guopumijian Making Craftsmanship.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
At present the project has more than 70 inheritors. Over the years the project's protection unit has made use of solar terms, festivals and other such occasions to vigorously carry out promotional, display and extension activities in many forms, such as bringing the project into schools and communities, advancing the transmission and spread of the related craft and culture. The traditional craft of making Beijing candied fruit blends folk and palace culture, and its finished products are delicate, distinctive and exquisite; it has reference value for the study of the related history, culture and ceremonial customs of the Beijing area.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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