Shaxian snacks in Shaxian District, Sanming City, Fujian Province are well-known both domestically and internationally. So far, Shaxian snacks have taken the opportunity of jointly building the "the Belt and Road" to radiate 79 countries and regions around the world, opening 229 overseas stores, and becoming one of the windows for spreading Chinese food and culture. Why do Shaxian snacks smell so fragrant overseas? Yang Liu, President of the Chinese Cuisine Association, recently accepted an interview on this matter. The interview summary is as follows: Reporter: How did Shaxian snacks originate? How did it develop and grow? Yangliu: Shaxian District of Sanming City is located in the central part of Fujian Province, with a history of more than 1600 years of county building. It is an important channel for ancient north-south and east-west exchanges. Many immigrants from the Central Plains migrated south and the passenger and freight transportation along the southeast coast and inland areas passed through here. For the convenience of merchants and tourists, Shaxian snacks have been developed with the basic characteristics of affordability, wide variety, and convenience. According to historical records, Shaxian snacks originated in the Yixi period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song dynasties, flourished in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and have been passed down to contemporary times. They are known as the "living fossil" of traditional Chinese culinary culture. In the 1980s, people in Shaxian began to try making and selling snacks to make a living. Snacks such as mixed noodles and flat meat have gradually become popular due to their affordable prices and unique flavors. Shaxian people saw the business opportunity and began to spontaneously go out to operate, bringing Shaxian snacks to various parts of the country and even the world. At present, there are about 240 types of snacks in Shaxian, radiating to 79 countries and regions around the world, with over 88000 stores and an annual turnover of over 55 billion yuan (RMB), driving employment for more than 300000 people. In 2021, the production techniques of Shaxian snacks were included in the fifth batch of representative projects of national intangible cultural heritage. Reporter: Shaxian snacks have become a well-known "national snack", what is the popular "traffic code"? Yangliu: Firstly, it has a profound cultural heritage. Shaxian snacks have a strong historical and cultural foundation among the people, especially known for their wide variety, unique flavor, and affordability. With the repeated southward migration of the Central Plains people, the culinary culture of the Central Plains has spread to Shaxian, making it a gathering place for traditional Chinese culinary culture. This is one of the main reasons why Shaxian snacks are famous throughout the country. The second is to appreciate the fusion of North and South. Shaxian snacks are a product of the fusion of Han Chinese noodle culture in the Central Plains and the rice culture of Minyue in Sanming, Fujian, with a natural tolerance gene. In the process of long-term integration with local food cultures, Shaxian snacks have shown strong adaptability and inclusiveness, not only retaining old flavors, but also showcasing new charm and creativity. The third is the coordinated development of industries. Shaxian has established a promotion mechanism led by the government and involving social capital. Through the establishment of the Shaxian Snack Industry Development Fund, the construction of the Shaxian Snack "Five Centers", and the Shaxian Snack Culture Research Institute, the Shaxian Snack Industry has been comprehensively promoted to start anew. Nowadays, Shaxian snacks have initially formed an industrial cluster covering multiple fields such as logistics and distribution, catering services, cultural tourism and health care. The added value of the tertiary industry has exceeded 12 billion yuan, which not only reflects the achievements of implementing the development concept of big food in Shaxian, but also demonstrates the ecological effect of promoting urban-rural integration and rural revitalization with the catering industry as a new quality productivity. The fourth is to strengthen brand leadership. In order to strengthen brand services and management, promote the standardized, orderly, and healthy development of Shaxian snacks, the local area has implemented a three in one operation model of "headquarters subsidiary terminal store". Through differentiated construction and standardized management of flagship stores, standard stores, and demonstration stores, the brand trademark is further protected, brand standards are formulated, and store quality and increment are promoted. Focusing on standardization, chain operation, industrialization, internationalization, and digitization, Shaxian County is striving to improve its snack industry by building industrial clusters, developing headquarters economy, and standardizing operations, leading Shaxian snacks into the era of branded catering chains. The fifth is the empowerment of cultural and tourism integration. The attractions showcasing Shaxian's snack and food culture, such as the Snack Culture City, Snack Science and Technology Museum, and Snack Folk Customs Museum, attract over 5 million visitors annually for sightseeing and tourism. In December 2023, Shaxian District was approved as a cross-strait exchange base and successfully held the Shaxian Snack Tourism Culture Festival and the first Cross Strait Food Festival, further promoting the Shaxian snack brand and assisting the transformation and upgrading of the Shaxian snack industry. Reporter: What is the development overview of Shaxian snacks overseas? How to better enter the world? Yangliu: Fujian Province is a key hometown for overseas Chinese. Since 2016, Shaxian District has actively promoted the "Shaxian snacks" to go global based on its advantages in overseas Chinese. Relying on the collective trademark "Shaxian Snacks and Graphics" approved and registered by the Trademark Office of the China National Intellectual Property Administration of China, Shaxian District, with the Shaxian Snacks Trade Association as the main body, initiated the Madrid international trademark registration of "Shaxian Snacks", and has successively completed trademark registration applications in Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries covered by the Madrid international trademark registration system, with trademark applications covering 77 countries and regions. At present, Shaxian Snacks has selected experienced and powerful catering enterprises as partners in various countries around the world to carry out the transformation and upgrading of Shaxian Snacks brand internationalization, chain operation, and standardization through the registration and licensing of the trademark "Shaxian Snacks and Graphics". It has settled in the United States, Japan, Portugal, France, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Canada and other places. In terms of talent cultivation and reserve, Shaxian has held 15 overseas training courses for Shaxian snacks, training technical backbone for cooperative companies in France, Japan, Indonesia, Canada, the United States and other countries, and helping cooperative enterprises steadily develop. With the development of the Chinese economy, Chinese catering culture is becoming increasingly popular among countries around the world. However, Chinese catering still faces difficulties in building basic logistics systems, procurement systems, and management systems when going global. Chinese cuisine 'going global' first requires a clear understanding of its own track, category, and target audience; In terms of supply chain, it is necessary to ensure layout first, establish a sound supply chain system, ensure the green, safe, and traceable nature of ingredients, achieve precise layout, and consolidate the market foundation; Integrating local flavors into research and development, and making appropriate improvements, is also the key to standing firm. Meanwhile, it is crucial for Chinese food enterprises to comply with local policies and laws and regulations in the process of brand internationalization. Enterprises need to achieve effective integration of brand and local culture through product quality, standardization, scaling, and localization. Reporter: What experience do internationally renowned catering brands have in promoting and protecting Shaxian snacks for learning and reference? Yangliu: An internationally renowned catering brand that generally promotes its catering products and culture to the world through standardized operating models and a globally unified brand image. At the same time, they generally focus on protection and inheritance, cultivate employees and partners, and ensure the unity and stability of brand philosophy and product quality. Chinese catering brands such as Shaxian snacks can learn from international experience in intellectual property protection, sustainable development, globalization, digital transformation, and crisis management to enhance competitiveness and brand value. Chinese cuisine carries rich and diverse "Chinese stories". Through cuisine, Chinese and foreign civilizations can understand, learn from, and draw inspiration from each other, thereby promoting cultural diversity and common progress. For example, in December of last year, the opening of Shaxian Special Session of Overseas Chinese Family · Fujian Overseas Chinese Food Culture Exchange Activity in 2024 not only promoted Shaxian snacks, but also increased overseas consumers' understanding and interest in Chinese food culture. (New Society)