Small county in E China's Jiangxi Province cultivates big bread business

Photo shows mass produced bread in Zixi county, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Photo courtesy of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China committee in Zixi county)

Zixi county, located in the eastern part of east China's Jiangxi Province, is dubbed as China's hub of bread production. The annual output of the bread industry in the county is worth 30 billion yuan ($4.8 billion).

With a population of 130,000, Zixi has more than 4,600 millionaires, more than 160 multimillionaires, and more than 20 billionaires. At least 40,000 people in Zixi are engaged in the bread industry and the local farmers earn 60 percent of their net income from the industry.

A girl poses for a picture while holding a bag of bread above her head at a bakery in Zixi county, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Chinanews.com/Wu Gaoping)

The founders of many pastry brands in China, including Baoshifu, Luxihe and Zhanji, are from Zixi.

In the autumn of 1987, two retired soldiers opened the first bakery in Zixi. This was followed by more bakeries in the county. Those who had mastered baking techniques earlier taught the skills to others, which contributed to the explosive growth of the bread industry in Zixi.

People in Zixi not only opened bread stores in the county, but also in places across the country. They have since opened more than 16,000 bakeries in over 1,000 cities in the country and even in foreign countries.

Photo shows a wall which promotes the bread culture in Zixi county, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Photo courtesy of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China committee in Zixi county)

In August 2019, construction of a bread central factory project kicked off in Zixi. Covering 85.6 mu (5.71 hectares) and with a total investment of 600 million yuan, the project was completed and partially put into operation in October 2021.

There are 150 Zixi bakeries in Jiangxi and southeast China's Fujian provinces, which generated a total output value of 120 million yuan in 2021. To extend the industrial chain and promote the concentrated development of the bread industry, Zixi county built a bread science and technology park.

A baker makes bagels at a bakery in Zixi county, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Chinanews.com/Liu Zhankun)

Workers package bread at a factory in Zixi county, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Photo courtesy of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China committee in Zixi county)

Photo shows bread dough to be baked at a bakery in Zixi county, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Chinanews.com/Liu Zhankun)

Workers make bread at a factory in Zixi county, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Photo courtesy of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China committee in Zixi county)

A baker cuts a cake with a knife. (Chinanews.com/Liu Zhankun)