Xin Yuan Zhai

Xin Yuan Zhai was established during the fifth year of the reign of Emperor Qianlong in 1740 and was originally located at Dong Liulichang. The teacher of the last Emperor in Qing Dynasty, Zhu Yifan once spoke highly of this shop andinscribed a plaque bearing the words “Xin Yuan Zhai Sweetmeat Shop”.
The shop sold mainly some seasonal delicacies, which were all made onsite. In summer, it would sell plum syrup from Grain in Ear for Stopping of Heat; in autumn, it would sell various sweetmeats, including crab apples, hawthorn and dried apricot slices from First Frost to Spring Festival; in winter, it would sell tomatoes on sticks, Tangduner and nut sugar adhibit. In addition, there were also some all-year-long delicacies, such as plum cake, sesame candy and autumn pear grease. Because of its quality ingredients and reasonable prices, it earned itself a high reputation.


In 1948, Xin Yuan Zhai closed down its business because of the slump in the economy. After 1956, Xin Yuan Zhai started its business again and moved into a new shop with the support of Premier Zhou Enlai and the Beijing Government. It was soon integratedwith a small food factory in Dongcheng District and renamed “Yidu Food Factory”. In 1984, the time-honored brand Xin Yuan Zhai wasonce again available to the public and started its business. After the expansions, apart from some traditional delicacies, there were also some other new delicacies served. Traditional snacks such as osmanthus plum cakes, sesame candy and miso candy were awarded “High Quality Products” in consecutive years. On October, 1986, the former manager of Xin Yuan Zhai Zhao Shaowu and senior technicians such as Xiao Yonghai were asked to help recover the production of Xin Yuan Zhai, which earned the trust of customers.