“Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Founding of New China — Hangzhou Shows Courtesy”

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When it comes to West Lake lotus root starch, it’s virtually a household name in Hangzhou. But many people don’t realize that today, both its main production area and the Hangzhou lotus-root starch factory are actually located in Jiande. To mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Shouchang Town in Jiande City has presented a heartwarming gift: West Lake lotus root starch.

West Lake lotus root starch was once a designated product for the G20 Hangzhou Summit and remains one of Hangzhou’s signature souvenirs; today, it is also recognized as a “Time-Honored Specialty Food of the Yangtze River Delta.” The manufacturer is Hangzhou Tiantang Food Co., Ltd. In 2003, Jiande attracted investment to bring in Tiantang Food Co., Ltd.—the leading enterprise in West Lake lotus root starch production—and established Hangzhou Jiande Tiantang Food Co., Ltd., along with its subsidiary Hangzhou Lotus Root Starch Factory, both located in Shouchang Town. This partnership has been in place for 21 years.

Why did West Lake lotus root starch choose to establish itself in Jiande? According to Ren Zhican, head of Hangzhou Tiantang Food Co., Ltd., it’s because the “lotus roots” are grown in Jiande. Jiande boasts nearly a millennium of lotus root cultivation, with the Liye Bai lotus variety in particular now grown across nearly 10,000 mu. “Establishing operations at the raw-materials source not only ensures quality control from the very beginning and guarantees product standards, but also significantly reduces transportation costs.”

Beyond Jiande’s profound historical and cultural heritage and its unique ecological environment, the key to attracting leading enterprises in the lotus‑root starch industry lies in Jiande’s unwavering, “day in and day out” one‑on‑one “shop assistant”‑style support for businesses. “From the moment a company sets up here, we assign dedicated service officers to provide tailored, point‑to‑point follow‑up—guiding Tiantang Food to successfully obtain national high‑tech enterprise status; we’ve launched the 909 Talent Night Market and a special recruitment train linking hundreds of schools, helping the company recruit skilled personnel and develop innovative best‑selling products such as nut‑infused lotus‑root starch and low‑sugar varieties; we’ve also repaired access roads to the factory site, secured the official designation ‘Lian’ou Road’ for the area, and enhanced the surrounding infrastructure, fostering a stronger sense of belonging and fulfillment among businesses,” explained Li Langjun, an enterprise‑support officer in Shouchang Town.

In recent years, the Jiande Municipal Government has placed great emphasis on developing the lotus‑root starch industry, implementing a range of measures—including policy support and brand promotion—to help this specialty product expand beyond Jiande and reach broader markets.

“To boost the efficiency of lotus‑root starch production, we’ve also helped enterprises acquire state-of-the-art equipment, transitioning from traditional methods to modern, automated production lines. From material selection and grinding to direct drying, the entire process now takes less than 30 minutes. At the same time, we’re encouraging and supporting businesses in leveraging online platforms for sales, enabling this time-honored specialty to ride the e‑commerce express and achieve industrial upgrading and value enhancement,” Li Langjun explained. Jiande produces over 2,000 tons of finished lotus root starch annually, accounting for more than 50% of the province’s total sales. ,“ Our lotus root starch not only enjoys strong sales domestically but has also expanded internationally, with exports to the United States, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Canada, and various countries and regions in Southeast Asia. Annual export sales of lotus root starch exceed RMB 10 million. ”

As times have evolved, lotus root starch has diversified into a range of consumer products—such as health‑focused beverages and gourmet dishes—catering to modern consumers’ varied dietary preferences. Its growing popularity has also boosted the local lotus root industry, injecting fresh momentum into Jiande’s agricultural development. “From October to April each year is the peak season for large‑scale lotus root procurement, with over 10,000 tons harvested annually,” says Li Langjun. Moreover, the establishment of lotus root starch processing enterprises has created employment opportunities for more than 100 local residents, enabling them to find work right at their doorstep.

Looking ahead, Jiande will continue to unlock the market potential and cultural value of West Lake lotus‑root starch, transforming it into “white gold” that fuels economic growth, driving innovation in the industry, actively extending and expanding the industrial chain, and accelerating rural revitalization.

Source: (Jiande Release)

Original article link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/ZMdz3ZjKnKFNMgAaGvADNw