Baking brings sweet success to Zhoutang village, E China's Jiangxi

A staff member displays freshly baked walnut cookies at the production site of a food company in Zhoutang village, Xinjiang New Area, Yingtan city, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Photo by Yan Mijin; AI-enhanced sketch)

In Zhoutang village, Xinjiang New Area, Yingtan, east China's Jiangxi Province, the air is filled with the rich aroma of freshly baked Chinese walnut cookies. At the eastern end of the village, the workshop of Yingtan Keyingmen Food Co., Ltd. is bustling with activity, with the walnut cookies emerging from their ovens.

Yingtan has a baking tradition spanning more than 1,000 years and is known as the "hometown of Chinese pastries." Zhoutang village and its surrounding area are a major hub of Yingtan's baking industry. In the 1980s and 1990s, many Yingtan residents packed their bags and headed to Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Sichuan and other provinces to make a living selling pastries.

"In those days, we would set out before dawn almost every day, carrying baskets of walnut cookies. We would first head to fairs and farmers' markets to catch the early morning crowds, then peddle them from street to street," said Peng Linyuan, chairman of Yingtan Keyingmen Food Co., Ltd.

By 2015, more than 60,000 people from Yingtan had opened 13,000 baking shops outside the city, generating an annual output value of more than 5 billion yuan (about $744 million).

Around 2016, Xinjiang New Area began developing its baking industry. Seizing the opportunity, Zhoutang village actively encouraged Yingtan baking entrepreneurs working elsewhere to return home and start their own businesses.

After more than 30 years away, Peng was excited to hear that the village was preparing to develop its own baking industry. Thus, in 2019, Peng decided to return home.

"We don't have to worry about sales. Half of our company's walnut cookies are now sold to Nanchang Youkou Food Co., Ltd.," Peng said. The company has continued to expand, reaching an output value of 12 million yuan in 2025.

Today, Zhoutang village is home to eight baking companies involved in various stages of the industry, including production, product development, new recipe testing and packaging. The village's annual output value has exceeded 50 million yuan, and baking has become part of almost every aspect of village life.

During holidays, the village's four themed baking experience workshops draw large crowds. The village also organizes events such as baking festivals and intangible cultural heritage exhibitions to showcase its local baking culture, while offering free baking experiences and tastings.

In 2025, Zhoutang village introduced a professional baking training school. Staffed by more than 20 full-time instructors, the school offers a wide range of courses, including Western-style pastry, Chinese pastry, and cake decorating.

Building on its baking industry, Zhoutang village is promoting an integrated development of industry, culture and tourism. In 2025, it received more than 1 million tourist visits and was home to more than 100 restaurants and snack shops as well as over 20 hotels and B&Bs.