According to legend, gourd skewers date back to the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279). One of the favorite concubines of Emperor Song Guangzong (1147 - 1200) at that time suffered from an incurable disease. While the royal physicians were still trying to find a cure, a folk physician came to the king and asked for his permission to treat her. The remedy he proposed was very simple: wrap hawthorn berries in hot sugar water, eat 5 to 10 of them before each meal, and the princess would recover after 2 weeks. This remedy worked to the amazement of the royal physicians and court officials.
People remember Beijing not only as a beautiful and historic city but also for its sweet and simple candied fruit that carries a big message: May good luck and happiness come to all of you. The first candied fruit skewers only had two hawthorns skewered, one small on top and one large on the bottom. This made the candy look like a gourd and the name candied fruit also originated from here. In addition to hawthorns, people also add other ingredients such as kumquats, water chestnuts or dates to make the candy filling. The outer shell also uses many types of fruit such as kiwi, strawberries, pineapple, raisins and even chocolate. The red color symbolizing luck and goodness is still used as the main color, but mixed with other colors of fruit makes the candy skewers especially attractive to both adults and children.
One of the famous candied fruit factories in Beijing is the Xinyaunzhai Factory. This factory is considered one of the oldest in the industry, with its special candied fruit skewers called Tangdun dating back to 1930.
The cry is the sound that makes the biggest difference between these candied fruit vendors and other vendors.
For Chinese people in general and Beijing people in particular, their childhood is associated with the sweetness of candied hawthorn skewers. The cries and the clattering of bicycles on the quiet alleys of Beijing in the early morning mist, the red candied skewers swaying to the rhythm of the wheels have become an unmistakable beauty of this city.
Candied fruit also appears in many arts. The Chinese have composed songs about the sweets and there is a TV series starring the famous actress Hsu Qin Ge Wa called Candied Fruit. The candy appears most often in historical dramas, adding to its special place in Chinese tradition. Tourists to this historic city also want to taste this strange candy with a special feeling of enjoyment.
