Tongdefu Walnut Slice: A Century-Old Chongqing Flavor

By Liu Dingrui/The World and Chongqing

In an alley on Wuyong Road， Hechuan District， Chongqing， there is a renowned local snack produced with exclusive techniques. The snack is made in thin slices， resembling paper， has a pure white color， and is soft and delicate in texture. This snack is none other than Tongdefu Walnut Slice， a brand that has been established since 1898.

Chongqing Hechuan Tongdefu Sliced-Walnut Cake Co.， Ltd. proudly stands as the pioneer in producing this renowned snack in Hechuan. Known as a distinctive delicacy， Hechuan walnut slices not only represent the specialty of Chongqing but also serve as a symbolic calling card for the city. Tongdefu Walnut Slice skillfully balances tradition and innovation， preserving its rich historical roots while continuously exploring new horizons.

How has the Tongdefu Walnut Slice found its way to thrive for a century？ On July 27， Yu Xiaohua， the fourth-generation inheritor of the brand and one of the first inheritors of municipal intangible cultural heritage， granted an exclusive interview to The World and Chongqing， shedding light on the Chongqing flavor from Hechuan Walnut Slices throughout the past century.

Inheritance of Craftsmanship Across a Century

In 1898， the craftsmen at Tongdefu shop in Hechuan successfully trial-produced a thin snack using glutinous rice， sugar， walnut kernel， and other ingredients. This marked the earliest version of Hechuan walnut slices.

Yu Xiaohuas great-grandfather， Yu Hongchun， and grandfather， Yu Fuguang， were operators of this snack at Tongdefu shop during the Qing Dynasty. As a member of the walnut slice family， Yu Xiaohua， the inheritor of the snack， has shouldered the responsibility of passing down the art of making the snacks since childhood. “Since I was 13， my father began orally teaching me the techniques， from the recipe to boiling sugar and mixing flour. I became familiar with the entire production process and honed my manual slicing skills from a young age，” Yu Xiaohua said.

He started practicing slicing skills at the age of 15， repeating the same movements every day. By days end， his arms would be too sore to pick up food with chopsticks. However， his persistence over time paid off， and he mastered exceptional knife skills. Today， after engaging in making walnut slices for nearly 40 years， Yu Xiaohua still possesses good dexterity. During the exclusive interview， Yu Xiaohua demonstrated his unique skill—slicing the cake blindfolded， with each slice unbroken and in a uniform thickness of only 1 millimeter. This requires remarkable craftsmanship.

Innovation Beyond Sweetness and Continuity

“In making walnut slices， quality comes first， followed by culture， and brand comes last.” Yu Xiaohua believes that adhering to strict craftsmanship and meticulous work is the secret of enduring Tongdefu Walnut Slice.

Tongdefu employs measures such as selected ingredients and enhanced techniques to ensure that their traditional walnut slices are as white as clouds， thin as paper， and full of flavor. They also offer salt and pepper walnut slices， which have a unique， crisp taste. Each walnut slice undergoes nearly 20 production processes， including ingredient selection， rice washing， rice frying， grinding， sieving， sugar stirring， powdering， stewing， and slicing. Each process is regulated with great detail， showcasing the production wisdom that has been passed down for a century and highlighting Yu Xiaohuas unswerving dedication to the craft.

“If we did not innovate， our product would eventually be phased out.” Despite the products widespread fame and increased growth in sales and production， Yu Xiaohua remains dedicated to pursuing advancements and innovation in the craft.

After more than a decade of research and experimentation， Yu Xiaohua successfully overcame the technical challenge of reducing sugar content without compromising the traditional flavor of the product. Additionally， they have developed a range of new flavors using raw materials such as eight delicacies， beans， black rice， and rose， as well as a collection with a crispy and inviting taste. These innovative products have gained popularity among consumers.

Global Expansion of Chongqing Flavor

Due to its unique flavor and extreme quality， Tongdefu has received numerous awards. In 2007， Tongdefu was selected as one of the first municipal intangible cultural heritage protection units and the first productive protection demonstration bases for municipal intangible cultural heritage. In 2020， its products were recognized as Chongqing Gifts for Foreign Affairs. Yu Xiaohua was named as the representative inheritor of the Hechuan Walnut Slice， one of the first batch of municipal intangible cultural heritage projects.

Tongdefu Walnut Slice has become a prominent calling card for Chongqing walnut slices， and Yu Xiaohua is dedicated to promoting this traditional Chongqing flavor to the world.

In 2010， Yu Xiaohua was invited to participate in the Expo 2010 Shanghai China， where Tongdefu Walnut Slice gained immense popularity. Martin Alintuck， President and CEO of USA Pavilion， highly praised the snack after tasting it. In 2018， Yu Xiaohua showcased the walnut slices at the Fifth China-Russia Expo. In 2020， he performed slicing blindfolded at the Chongqing Day of China Pavilion Expo 2020 Dubai. “Constantly surpassing and innovating the technology and expanding the popularity of Hechuan walnut slices is my lifelong career. I will bring this specialty to the wider world，” said the 69-year-old Yu Xiaohua in persistent pursuit of his dreams.

Photo/Deng Siyuan and the Interviewee