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CPC100 - The Worldly Sweetness in the Memory of XIAO Hong


26 May 2021 | By Zhangping & Xu Xinjie, Reviewed by Zhou Liya | Copyedited by Xu Shijie

  • Lunjiao cake

    "Lunjiao cake" is made from rice flour, white sugar, water, yeast and baking powder. It was created during the Ming Dynasty in Lunjiao district Shunde Guangdong province.

  • Lunjiao cake

    Some old shops in Shanghai still offer the Lunjiao cake.

  • Lunjiao cake

    A hand-drawn picture

I

n the fall of 1934, XIAO Hong, a famous female writer, and her husband XIAO Jun came to Shanghai to make a living. Here they were taken very good care of by Lu Xun, the modern Chinese literary master. Today, readers’ impression about Mr. Lu Xun might be always so serious and unapproachable, with his butch haircut, short mustache, a long robe and a pipe. But in Xiao Hong's “Memories of Mr. Lu Xun”, written after his death, introduced us another side of Lu Xun who was so easy-going, kind and friendly in life. For XIAO Hong, He was both a mentor, and an interesting friend. And this teacher-friend rapport stemmed not only from a love of literature, but also from a shared love of food.

XIAO Hong was a frequent guest at Lu Xun's place at that time, and quickly became close friends with his wife XU Guangping. Lu Xun was a great lover of refreshments. Whenever this regular guest came to his home, he would bring out rose and white sugar Lunjiao cake to serve. XIAO Hong also loved this southern snack, which is sweet but not greasy, soft and fluffy, with a hint of sourness in the light sweetness, and the fragrance of roses lingering between lips and teeth, sweet and tempting.

The pastry was translucent hibiscus-colored, in diamond-shaped and clear-layered, with a sweet rose flavor, soft and glutinous, leaving a fragrant taste on the lips. The cake firstly came up in Lunjiao Town, Shunde City, Guangdong Province, so as to be named Rose and White Sugar Lunjiao Cake. It is said that the people of Lunjiao town soaked rice in local fresh spring water for nearly three hours, then ground it into rice pulp and pressed it into dry rice powder. The sugar and rose petals are boiled in a pot with clear spring water, then the sugar water is washed into the rice powder, cooled and left for seven to eight hours, and then crafted after some delicate steps.

More than eighty years have passed, now some old shops in Shanghai still offer the Lunjiao cake that Lu Xun and XIAO Hong gave full of praises. However, instead of looking for the peddlers from the alleyways, one can now order online and taste it at home. And inside the dining, people scanning the QR code to scan or pay by WeChat can be also be seen everywhere.

Though forms are changed throughout time, but the cake itself remains as it is always. As a carrier of care and warmth, it represents a feeling of belonging for a drifter in the times of tragic and disaster, leaving the unforgettable sweetness in the deep memory, and continuing offering happiness for today’s people.

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Press Contact

SISU News Center, Office of Communications and Public Affairs

Tel : +86 (21) 3537 2378

Email : news@shisu.edu.cn

Address :550 Dalian Road (W), Shanghai 200083, China

Further Reading