Fourteen specialties from Chongming District have been chosen as gifts of the city and cultural icons of Shanghai to provide guests from around the world an exclusive and impressive local experience.

Dongfa rice cake

Chongming rice cake, also known as yunpian gao, is a traditional pastry that is essential for weddings, housewarming, graduation, baby’s 1-year birthday celebration, festivals and other occasions in Chongming.

It is a popular snack among locals, especially the Dongfa-branded cakes.

Dongfa Food has been focusing on rice cakes for more than 30 years, innovating its traditional craftsmanship and making previously loose pastries “chewy.”

Dongfa Food selects the unique “silver fragrant rice” from Chongming Changjiang Farm as the main raw material and hires local chefs to make it through traditional craftsmanship, preserving the complete fragrance of rice in the pastry.

Qingcaosha rice wine

The product is made from a specific variety of rice from Chongming, which has undergone refined whitening treatment as the raw material.

Traditional rice wine brewing techniques are combined with modern biotechnology and advanced intelligent control technology.

During the production process, no artificial aroma and flavor substances are added, making it comfortable to drink.

Homespun cloth

Chongming homespun cloth was often woven by a mother for her daughter and used as a dowry in the old days.

The homespun product uses colored woven fabric featuring the Chinese character of fu (福, happiness) and dyed fabric with the pattern of peony, supplemented by blue patterned fabric, to create tablecloths, pillows and other items that meet the daily needs of modern people.

This series of products now has a range of products including table flags, pillows and hanging bags. Each product has different patterns, showing unique personality and beauty.

Yingzhou Ching San liquor

As a “China time-honored enterprise” founded in 1919, Dalu Brewing uses local high-quality glutinous rice, japonica rice and water as raw materials to make the Ching San liquor.

It utilizes the unique ecological environment, adopts the traditional brewing technology of Chongming laobaijiu as well as the distillation technology of Scotch whisky.

After being made into liquor, it is sealed in a pottery jar and stored in an underground cellar.

It has a unique style of mellow and elegant aroma. It is refreshing in the mouth, soft and smooth through the throat, and has a sweet and charming fragrance.

Yingzhou Vert Chongming rice

The Vert organic rice production obtained the use authorization of “special geographical indication signs” in 2021.

The packaging, featuring a main color scheme of Chinese red, is characteristic of Chongming.

The left half of the front of the gift box depicts sunlight, auspicious clouds, golden rice and waves in hand-drawn form to express the scene of a golden rice harvest, while the three important elements for agriculture — sunlight, water and air, are included to symbolize harvest and auspiciousness.

The right half reflects an aerial view of the vast paddy fields in Chongming.

Cizzle kitchen cookware

Founded in 2009, Cizzle is a brand under Shanghai Guanhua. It has committed to providing kitchen utensils that are “user-friendly, applicable and reliable.”

Adhering to the unity of aesthetics and functional values, Cizzle advocate the “moments of joy in cooking.”

Zaoyu Xiangjing rice

Chongming, an ecological island, has its own farm and has been using green manure for 10 years to improve the soil.

Zaoyu Xiangjing, also known as “World Expo Rice,” is one of the rice varieties exhibited at the 2010 World Expo Shanghai.

The product has a natural fragrance, a sweet taste and a soft and chewy texture. A complete set of advanced processing equipment from Japan has been introduced in processing to ensure the good quality of the rice.

Chongming laobaijiu

Chongming laobaijiu, which literally means old white liquor, was included in the intangible cultural heritage list of Shanghai in 2009 and awarded the title of “National Protected Geographical Indication Product.”

Shanghai Dongming Brewing Co Ltd, founded in 1939, is the main manufacturer of Chongming laobaijiu.

Its major registered trademarks include “Yingsanquan,” “Yingquan” and “Caihuahuang.”

By mixing and brewing locally produced glutinous rice with jiuqu, a special yeast made from Chinese herbs for fermentation, Chongming laobaijiu features a distinctive sweet taste similar to ice wine but with a much stronger aftertaste like spirits — despite its low alcohol content, usually less than 15 percent.

Old Shanghai sweet fermented glutinous rice

The fermentation history of Chongming jiuniang (sweet fermented glutinous rice) stretches back more than 700 years.

The fermented glutinous rice goes well with local delicacies such as rice balls, rice cakes and eggs. It is a popular local dessert. It can also be used as a seasoning and can be added in moderation when cooking braised fish and other dishes to make them more delicious.

Shanghai Dongming Brewing Co Ltd selects high-quality glutinous rice with high amylopectin by deep fermentation, so that the sweet rice wine produced has better glutinous property, sweeter taste and stronger flavor.

Yingfeng Wudou rice

Yingfeng Wudou organic rice is a high-quality rice product by Shanghai Yingfeng Wudou Ecological Agriculture Development Co Ltd, a subsidiary of Bright Agricultural Development Group.

The rice has a crystal clear color, and a refreshing aroma.

Elastic, soft but not sticky, it is rich in nutrition.

Mrs Fu silk dress

This silk dress is mainly in the classic turquoise color scheme. The texture of the silk dress is soft and smooth.

It is cool and comfortable to wear, so it is the favorite of women in summer, exuding elegance in the Eastern style.

It is sewn using manual embroidery technology, with handmade buckles and a graceful handmade V-neck.

The use of hemmed sleeve designs that are well decorated for women’s arms showcases their elegant arm curves. Made entirely by hand, the elegant swing design adds a touch of charm.

Yingzhou puzzle

The Chongming puzzle originated in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and was first created by scholar Tong Yegeng.

In 1862, Tong saw a child playing cat’s cradle, holding a rope between their fingers and “flipping it over.” Inspired, he associated it with the changing and transforming relationships of things.

As a result, a puzzle was created, which can create various shapes and be circulated and enjoyed among friends.

In 1878, Chongming Puzzle and Chongming Puzzle Plus were officially released. In 1890, he created the Painting of Brainstorming Swallows, and later the Thousand Character Classic and the Puzzle Character.

The basic form of Chongming Puzzle is a square board divided into seven shapes, totaling 15 geometric shapes, which are combined in different ways to make ancient vessels, flowers, fruits and vegetables, characters, animals and people.

Chongming saffron

Around 98 percent of the saffron produced in Shanghai comes from Chongming.

The right way to consume Chongming saffron usually involves brewing, soaking in wine and in drinks. Shanghai Huayu Saffron Planting Professional Cooperative combines saffron with other natural materials to produce truly chemical-free daily beauty products, which are without additives, making consumers feel more at ease when using them.

Chong baijiu

The Chong baijiu (Chinese liquor) selects high-quality rye, rice and saffron, and adds Chongming water to brew.

Chong baijiu adopts a semi-solid and semi-liquid process, with a clear body and elegant aroma, emitting a continuous fragrance of saffron.

The first sip is soft and the aftertaste is sweet, giving people an infinite sense of charm.

Chong baijiu packaging focuses on the regional characteristics of Chongming, with the island map as the background, supplemented by the style of a Chongming Island mudflat. It is a century-old baijiu, and has a fine taste.