Brown sugar sales ride on intl motorcycle feat

In Shujiacun township of Mayang Miao autonomous county in Central China's Hunan province, 60-year-old Sun Siju has dedicated the past three decades to the craft of making brown sugar.

As president of Fushou Sugar Co, Sun is a 26th-generation inheritor of the craft, which has been preserved in the region for over 600 years. The process of making traditional Mayang brown sugar involves 18 manual steps, Sun said, with the most critical being the rapid stirring of the thickening syrup before it solidifies.

"It all depends on the master's hands and eyes," she said. "A few extra seconds would change the color and taste."

The sugar, made from sugarcane grown in the sandy, fertile soil along the Jinjiang River in Mayang, is distinguished by its soft texture and shimmering color.

"Our sugar dissolves immediately, even in cold water," Sun said.

Mayang cultivates about 200 hectares of sugarcane, yielding an annual output of 1,500 metric tons of traditional brown sugar valued at 41.2 million yuan ($6 million), according to the county government.

In 2023, Mayang's traditional brown sugar-making craft was recognized as a provincial intangible cultural heritage in Hunan. Despite this accolade, the product remained relatively unknown outside the local area until a motorcycle brought it into the international spotlight.

From March 28 to 29, Chinese motorcycle startup ZXMOTO made history at the Sportbike World Championship in Portugal. Its team secured victories in both races of the World Supersport category, marking the first win for a Chinese motorcycle manufacturer at the global event. Prominently displayed on the fuel tank of the motorcycles were six Chinese characters that read: "Mayang traditional brown sugar".

Instead of selling the sponsorship spot, which typically costs hundreds of thousands of yuan, Zhang Xue, founder of ZXMOTO and a native of Mayang, chose to highlight his hometown specialty for free.

The impact was immediate. Within three days, the product received more than 20,000 new orders, with a notable increase in price, according to Zhang Jun, deputy head of Mayang county.

Each winter, a new batch of brown sugar is produced following the sugarcane harvest, and the stock normally lasts until October the next year, said Zhang Yanhong, Party secretary of Shiziyuan village, a key production area.

"This year, nearly all inventory is gone by now," he said.

Brown sugar is the backbone of Shiziyuan's economy, he said. The village has around 300 households involved in sugarcane cultivation and seven sugar workshops, with sugar production accounting for about 80 percent of the village's income stream.

The latest production cycle has already begun in the village's sugarcane fields, with seedlings now about 10 centimeters tall. The sudden surge in demand has brought joy and hope to the villagers.

"Many have told me they want to plant more next year," Zhang Yanhong said. "They also asked me to pass along their thanks to Zhang Xue, although we haven't had the chance to contact him since the news broke."

Despite the sudden attention on Mayang brown sugar, the county government remains cautious.

"We must think long-term and focus on quality control before expanding production," Zhang Jun said.

The government is collaborating with research institutes to improve sugarcane seedlings and exploring partnerships with pharmaceutical companies to develop new products based on the sugar, he added.

Contact the writers at limuyun@chinadaily.com.cn