Xinggang Candy: From a Rainy Day Accident to a Century of Cultural Memory at the Temple Entrance

30-Second Overview: The birth of Xinggang candy was not a result of careful design, but rather a "repurposing of waste" during a heavy rain in 1891. To avoid wasting damp peanut candy, the founder, Lu Qitou, accidentally concocted this soft, chewy dessert with a rich peanut aroma. Because its original pulled shape featured long, thin tails, it was jokingly called "Bird-Mouse Candy" (niao-shu-zai tang). It later flourished at the entrance of Xinggo Fengtian Temple, becoming an essential souvenir for pilgrims across Taiwan. It is not only one of Taiwan's earliest "creative desserts" but also a cultural symbol linking religious faith with local industry.

In 1891 (the 17th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty), Lu Qitou, a vendor from Jiangcuodian, Minxiong Township, Chiayi, was fretting over a pile of damp peanut candy. Continuous rain had rendered the originally crispy peanut candy soft and unsellable. To avoid wasting precious ingredients, he attempted to place the candy in a pot, adding maltose, white sugar, and flour to re-boil and stir the mixture, then kneading it into blocks after cooling. This soft candy, born from a spirit of thrift, accidentally solved the moisture sensitivity of peanut candy; its chewy, non-stick texture became the prototype for today's Xinggang candy ¹².

Lu Qitou initially sold his wares along the streets of Minxiong and Xinggang. Because the candy pieces, when pulled and broken, left behind thin, long tails resembling small mice, locals jokingly called it "Bird-Mouse Candy." Later, the Lu family moved to the east side of Xinggang Fengtian Temple. Because the candy contained two whole peanuts, they refined the name to Shuangrenrun (Double-Kernel Moistness), symbolizing completeness and harmony ³[^ 5].

From the Temple Entrance to the Exhibition: "Divine Confectionery"

The success of Xinggang candy is inseparable from the Mazu worship at Xinggang Fengtian Temple. As an important religious center in Taiwan, Fengtian Temple attracts tens of thousands of pilgrims every year. For believers, bringing back a malt-scented dessert made at the temple entrance after worshipping Mazu is not just a souvenir of the journey, but a way to bring home a blessing of peace. This "pilgrimage souvenir" model allowed Xinggang candy to spread rapidly across Taiwan ⁴⁵.

📝 Curator's Note: The history of Xinggang candy is a metaphor for "transformation"—transforming a disastrous rain into a century-long sweetness; transforming the "mouse" imagery, which people once avoided, into Shuangrenrun, a symbol of harmony.

The Japanese colonial period was a critical era for Xinggang candy's transformation into a "famous specialty." In 1915, under the name "Jin Changli," Xinggang candy traveled to San Francisco, USA, to participate in the Panama-Pacific International Exposition and won numerous medals at various industrial promotion exhibitions within Taiwan. It is rumored that members of the Japanese Imperial Family praised it highly after tasting it, elevating it from a local temple snack to an official gift representing Taiwan ⁶⁷.

A Five-Hour Marathon of Malt and Peanuts

Making an authentic piece of Xinggang candy is a test of endurance. The core ingredients are extremely simple: maltose, white sugar, flour, and peanuts, but the process takes over five hours. The master must first mix flour with water to create a paste, then add sugar and maltose for long-duration, slow-fire simmering. The thickness of the syrup relies entirely on the master's experienced judgment; if it is too soft, it will not hold its shape, but if it is too hard, it loses its essential chewiness ⁸⁹.

Peanuts are the "heart" of Xinggang candy. The master must select plump peanuts to roast and add them at a specific stage of the syrup simmering. The final step involves pouring the candy paste onto a surface dusted with rice bran, then hand-kneading it into strips and cutting it into pieces. This commitment to handmade production ensures that every piece of candy presents distinct layers of texture: an outer layer of mellow, chewy malt and an inner layer of crunchy, substantial peanut ⁵¹⁰.

Challenges and Heritage: When Old Flavors Meet a New Era

As dietary habits change, Xinggang candy—once regarded as a precious dessert—faces challenges from modern health consciousness. To survive, contemporary long-standing shops such as "Jin Changli" and "Xiangzi Nei" have begun developing low-sugar recipes and diversifying flavors into guava, grape, and plum varieties to attract the attention of younger generations ³⁷.

However, for many older generations of Taiwanese, the taste of Xinggang candy is more than just sweetness and aroma; it is infused with the scent of incense from Fengtian Temple, memories of running around the temple entrance as children, and the very resilience of the Taiwanese people. This soft candy, originating from a rainy day accident, continues even 130 years later to tell the story of how Taiwanese people find ways through adversity amidst the light fragrance of malt ⁴.

📝 Curator's Note: In today's era of widespread automated production, the persistence of the five-hour simmering process in Xinggang candy is a tribute to "slow time." It reminds us that some flavors cannot be accelerated.

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