Fanshan Rouyan, a type of meat wonton, is a culinary delight hailing from the town of Fanshan in Cangnan county, Wenzhou, Zhejiang province. Over the years, it has earned titles such as "century-old brand of Wenzhou", "top 10 snacks of Zhejiang", and "famous Chinese snack".
The preparation of Rouyan begins by grinding lean meat into a paste, adding an appropriate amount of sweet potato flour, rolling it out into thin, square-shaped dough, and then filling it with the meat mixture. These delectable parcels are boiled and typically served with a flavorful broth. Due to its unique preparation method, Fanshan Rouyan has been recognized as an intangible cultural heritage item in Wenzhou.
This dish is not just a culinary delight, it has also paved the way for local villagers to achieve financial prosperity. At present, Fanshan town boasts 61 registered enterprises and individual businesses engaged in the production and sale of Rouyan products. Additionally, the town has established five micro-industrial parks dedicated to Rouyan production.
Incomplete figures suggest that Fanshan Rouyan's annual production value has exceeded 150 million yuan ($20.53 million), fueling a thriving market for Rouyan that has, in turn, stimulated related industries, including sweet potato cultivation, local pig farming, and micro-business ventures.
With its development in terms of scale and branding, Fanshan Rouyan has gained recognition at provincial-level and municipal-level agricultural product exhibitions.
