Speaking of candy in Suzhou , Caizhizhai is known to everyone. If Pingtan is a tone that integrates into the bones of Suzhou people, then Caizhizhai is a true portrayal of the sweet life of Suzhou people. Caizhizhai Main Store is located on the famous Guanqian Street , strolling on the pedestrian street full of shops. You don’t have to worry about not finding it, because it is so outstanding, it’s hard not to notice it
Caizhizhai is a building next to the street with pink walls and black tiles, low-key and restrained. Come to the store door. The first thing that caught my eye was the three big characters "Caizhizhai". The name of this store was not written by a mountain villager. This was written by Tanhua Nianci in the Qing Dynasty. The font is simple and elegant, which is really pleasing to the eye. The store name also read "Tongzhi founded, a century-old store" on both sides. It explains the historical origins of Caizhizhai in just 8 words, which are short and concise. Come on, don’t rush to enter the store. There is a couplet at the door: “Cai all things Ganoderma lucidum , dissolve the precious taste for a hundred years.” After careful consideration, Caizhizhai really collects the essence of all things in the world, and then turns into various desserts, adding more sweetness to daily life.
slowly walked into the square and bright lobby with light steps. Do you have this question? Is this really a candy shop? Is it really not a living private garden? Looking around, I saw a vivid picture of "Picking Zhizhi" hanging on the wall. In the picture are two energetic old men, one of whom was holding a crutch in one hand and the other was carrying a basket filled with Ganoderma lucidum grass in the other; the other was carrying a gourd on his shoulder, which contained magic medicine. This "Picking Zhizhi Picture" is very interesting and complements the layout of the entire store.
In addition to this "Picking Zhizhi Picture", there are also signs such as "Banqian Medicinal Materials Store" and "Gongtang" hanging on the walls of the store. Legend has it that during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, Empress Dowager Cixi fell ill and the imperial physician was ineffective in the long-term treatment. Suzhou Weaving Bureau selected Suzhou famous doctor Cao Cangzhou to Beijing to take the pulse of the empress dowager. In addition to prescriptions, Dr. Cao also offered the Caizhizhai Fritillaria candy he carried with him to Empress Dowager Cixi for the medicine. What's amazing is that the Queen Mother's condition improved soon after. As Empress Dowager Cixi's condition improved, the legend of "Caizhizhai's secret tribute sugar curing the Queen Mother's disease" also spread. From then on, Caizhizhai has been known as "tribute sugar" and "ban yu medicinal materials store".
In addition to having Empress Dowager Cixi "like" Caizhizhai, Premier Zhou Enlai was also not hesitant to recognize and support Caizhizhai. In 1954, when Prime Minister Zhou Enlai attended the Geneva meeting, he used Caizhizhai's candy to entertain foreign friends. From then on, Caizhizhai, as the "Chinese sugar", quickly flew into the international market as if it had wings... It is conceivable how famous Caizhizhai is.
Caizhizhai has a wide variety of candies, which is simply a blessing for those who love sugar. Candies include pine rice dumpling candy, rose sauce candy, crunchy pine candy , crispy peach balls, soft pine candy, thin skin candy, light peach candy, almond candy, etc. The roasted products include herbs, watermelon seeds, rose watermelon seeds, salted beetle nuts, salted beetle nuts, salted beetle nuts, salted beetle nuts and other candied beetle nuts, sugar dried bayberry, nine-made plum peel, rose half plum, 9-made tangerine peel , etc., with a total of more than 100 varieties.
Caizhizhai candies are mostly made of various nuts, roses, osmanthus, mint, etc. also. Caizhizhai pays great attention to seasonality and often changes ingredients according to the season, with the purpose of keeping its candies fresh. So when you walk leisurely on the street and suddenly smell the various fragrances of osmanthus, mint, candied hawthorn, rose melon seeds, sesame , pine nuts , congratulations, you are not far from Caizhizhai.
Caizhizhai is a time-honored candy store in China, which began in the late 19th century. It has been set up in the ninth year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1870) and has been until now. This must have experienced a lot of glory and suffering, but real gold is not afraid of fire. Now it appears in front of people with a new look. If you are not in a hurry to leave with the "trophy", then please slow down and calm down. Peel a candy and put it in your mouth to chew it slowly, and then listen to the Pingtan here. The sweet and glutinous Wu dialect is so crispy that it is so sweet that it is so sweet.The salesperson wearing water town costumes, with flower windows hanging down one after another, and Pingtan songs one after another. No matter which corner you stand in, Caizhizhai exudes the unique slow-tuning temperament of Suzhou.
