When you wander along Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street or Yuyuan Old Street in Shanghai, attracted by the glamour of the Bund and the elegance of Jiangnan gardens, there is always a mellow pine fragrance mixed with a light sugar scent leading your steps. This fragrance comes from the signature product of Wulixiang, a time-honored brand in Shanghai — Pine Nut Zongzi Candy. It is not only a candy carrying the memories of old Shanghai, but also a treasure of intangible cultural heritage selected as “Shanghai Gift”. For foreign tourists, it is the best souvenir to understand Shanghai’s flavor and take away the city’s memories. As a classic Shanghai-style brand rooted in Shanghai for decades, Wulixiang uses traditional craftsmanship to blend the mellow fragrance of pine nuts with the sweetness of maltose, creating this timeless delicacy, which has become an indispensable taste symbol in Shanghai’s tourism.
To understand the charm of Pine Nut Zongzi Candy, you first need to know its origin and craftsmanship. As a classic representative of Shanghai-style pastries, Wulixiang can be traced back to an old Shanghai business hundreds of years ago. Today, it has become an important carrier of Shanghai’s flavor. Its Pine Nut Zongzi Candy has been included in the 13th batch of Jiading District Intangible Cultural Heritage List due to its unique craftsmanship. Different from the industrial production of ordinary candies, every step of making Wulixiang’s Pine Nut Zongzi Candy adheres to traditional craftsmanship, embodying the efforts of old craftsmen. The key to making an authentic Pine Nut Zongzi Candy lies in the precise control of craftsmanship: the temperature of the syrup must be just right, mixed with high-quality pine nuts that have been peeled and selected. When cutting the candy, each knife must be rotated in a timely manner to form a unique shape with distinct edges and corners, resembling a mini zongzi — this is also the origin of the name “Zongzi Candy”.
The choice of pine nuts is the soul of this candy. Wulixiang carefully selects high-quality pine nuts from Northeast China. After multiple processes such as roasting and screening, impurities and astringency are removed, retaining the most authentic mellow fragrance and crispy taste of pine nuts. Each pine nut is plump and golden in color. Mixed into the maltose boiled to an amber color, after repeated folding and pulling, the pine nuts are evenly distributed in the candy body. Cut one open, the transparent candy body is dotted with visible pine nuts, like treasures embedded in amber; put it in your mouth, you can first taste the light burnt fragrance of maltose, then the mellow fragrance of pine nuts slowly spreads on your tongue. The crispy nut particles perfectly blend with the soft and non-sticky candy body, sweet but not greasy, crispy but not gritty, with rich layers. After eating, there is still a long-lasting pine fragrance in your mouth, making you linger and forget to return. In addition to the classic original flavor, Wulixiang has also innovated while inheriting, launching Rose Pine Nut Zongzi Candy. It has solved the technical problem of retaining rose fragrance and petal shape under high-temperature sugar boiling, allowing the sweetness of roses to collide with the mellow fragrance of pine nuts, providing more taste choices for foreign tourists.
For foreign tourists, Pine Nut Zongzi Candy is not only a delicacy, but also a window to understand Shanghai’s Shanghai-style Culture. Shanghai is a city with both Chinese and Western charm and a commitment to traditional fireworks. Wulixiang’s Pine Nut Zongzi Candy is a vivid embodiment of this Culture. It originated from the traditional candy craftsmanship in Jiangnan, but has continuously integrated and innovated in Shanghai. It has both the delicacy of Su-style candies and the inclusiveness of Shanghai-style culture, becoming the “childhood taste” of old Shanghainese and the urban taste card of contemporary Shanghai. At the 2026 Year of the Horse Spring Festival Market, Wulixiang’s Pine Nut Zongzi Candy became a popular product in the market with its unique flavor and cultural heritage, attracting Chinese and foreign tourists to stop and taste, and becoming an important carrier of conveying Shanghai’s Spring Festival flavor and culture.
As a must-buy souvenir for foreign tourists traveling to Shanghai, Pine Nut Zongzi Candy is also very convenient to buy. Wulixiang has set up stores around many popular tourist attractions in Shanghai. You can easily buy the authentic flavor without making a special detour. The most recommended stores are located at No. 630 Nanjing East Road and 1st Floor, No. 766 Nanjing East Road, Huangpu District. Located in the core area of Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, it is within walking distance after getting off at Nanjing East Road Station of Metro Line 2 or 10. There are also popular scenic spots such as the Bund and People’s Square nearby. After visiting the scenic spots, you can stop by the store to choose, which is very convenient. In addition, there are many stores selling Wulixiang products around Yuyuan Mall. Get off at Yuyuan Station of Metro Line 10 or 14 and walk for 5 minutes to reach it. After visiting Yuyuan and City God Temple, take a few boxes of Pine Nut Zongzi Candy, which is not only a souvenir for yourself, but also a thoughtful gift for your family and friends.
When buying, foreign tourists can choose different packages according to their needs: loose-packed ones are suitable for personal tasting, buy as needed to feel the immediate delicacy; small-packed ones are easy to carry, suitable for eating at any time during the trip, and also suitable for sharing with traveling partners; gift box packages are exquisitely designed with Shanghai characteristic elements, which are the best choice for giving to family and friends. The gift box will also be accompanied by product introductions, making it convenient for foreign tourists to introduce the story and Culture of this Shanghai candy to their family and friends. The price is also very affordable. The loose-packed ones are about 12.8-16.8 yuan per catty, the small-packed ones (100g-200g) are about 13.9-25.6 yuan, and the gift box packages range from 30 to 100 yuan according to different specifications, with high cost performance, so you don’t have to worry about the budget.
Here are a few tips for foreign tourists: Pine Nut Zongzi Candy is a hard candy, suitable for slow tasting. Matching it with Shanghai’s local green Tea or chrysanthemum tea can not only relieve the sweetness, but also highlight the mellow fragrance of pine nuts, unlocking a more authentic eating method; it should be stored in a sealed container in a cool and dry place to avoid moisture and melting, which affects the taste. Especially when the humidity is high in Shanghai’s plum rain season, it is more important to keep it sealed to retain this pine fragrance delicacy for a long time; if you are not sure about the taste, you can first buy a small amount of loose-packed ones to taste, then choose the gift box or buy more bags according to your preference.
The beauty of Shanghai lies not only in the bright lights of the Bund and the antique charm of Yuyuan, but also in the authentic flavors hidden in the fireworks. Wulixiang’s Pine Nut Zongzi Candy, with a small candy, carries Shanghai’s intangible cultural heritage craftsmanship, Shanghai-style culture and warm fireworks. It is an indispensable taste experience for foreign tourists traveling to Shanghai, and also the best souvenir to take away Shanghai’s memories. When you taste this candy, every bite of pine fragrance and sweetness is a gentle greeting from Shanghai; when you give it to your family and friends, every box of candy carries your beautiful travel memories in Shanghai. Come to Shanghai, wander the old streets, enjoy the scenery, taste the food, and don’t forget to take a few boxes of Wulixiang’s Pine Nut Zongzi Candy, and take the taste and warmth of Shanghai home with you.
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