Xincheng Wind Sugar (新城風糖), located in Xincheng Community, Baoshan Township, Hsinchu County, was one of the important sugar factories during the earlier times in Taiwan. The company’s brown sugar is well-known at home and abroad. However, with the changes of the times, Taiwan’s sugar industry declined. In 2005, Lee Wen-bang (李文榜), who served as township mayor at the time, and his son Lee Rong-feng (李榮峯), assembled the power of Baoshan Township residents, including its young people, and in coordination with the government’s plan to promote the uniqueness of local industries, they worked together to promote the characteristics of Xincheng, hoping that Hakka history and its sugar-making culture will be carried forward. In addition to the sugar factory, the park connected to it is also used as a venue for leisure activities, and there’s a Hakka gourmet restaurant on the site, as well as various classes and guided tours, making this a good place for leisure and relaxation.

(Image: FTV)

Since ancient times, Baoshan Township has been dominated by farming. In the early days, it was rich in sugarcane. The sugar industry was especially famous for its hand-fried brown sugar. With the changes of the times, imported brown sugar gradually replaced hand-fried brown sugar, and the sugar industry in Baoshan gradually went downhill.

Lee Wen-bang wanted to use brown sugar to bring out the characteristics of the Xincheng community. As the head of the township, he saw the aging rural population and the elders taking care of the farmland alone. Therefore, he hoped to take care of the elderly and contribute to the community’s industry. Meanwhile, his son, Lee Rong-feng who was originally working in the Hsinchu Science Park, did not want to let his elderly father work so hard and seeing the decline of the traditional sugar industry, he also decided to go back to his hometown to assist his father's community development association. So the father and son jointly founded the Xincheng Wind Sugar Company.

(Image: FTV)

Lee Wen-bang and his son insisted on recultivating sugar cane orchards using natural farming methods. In addition to facing the challenge of pests, they also experienced ups and downs in sugar production. Lee Wen-bang recalled the early periods when they were trying to come up with the right way to fry sugar. In the beginning, the condition of the sugar they fried was very unstable, so they continued to experiment to improve the quality. They worked with the elders in the community to find a way to combine the traditional Hakka techniques of frying sugar with modern machines. Using semi-automatic sugar frying techniques, they successfully rediscovered the traditional flavor of Xincheng community’s fried brown sugar.

(Image: FTV)

In addition to brewing traditional brown sugar, Xincheng Wind Sugar also sells sweet and delicious brown sugar syrup-filled steamed buns, attracting many tourists to taste the treat. It also offers a sugarcane farmer experience and DIY hand-made brown sugar steamed buns activities, so that tourists from all over the world can have a deeper understanding of the sugar industry and Hakka culture. "By making many different agricultural products, I hope that the goodwill of the countryside can be passed on," Lee Wen-bang said, with a determined look.

In order to improve the quality of the environment and production efficiency, Xincheng Wind Sugar renovated and beautified the traditional fields in the area, through the Hakka Affairs Council’s Hakka crafts transmission project. It repaired several traditional sugar making machines, and even added a display area for repairing old farm tools and a small classroom to learn about brown sugar making. Even as it keeps the traditional style of making sugar, it brings a new atmosphere to Xincheng Wind Sugar. The newly-revived industry and community has attracted many young people to come back to their hometown to work. With the new blood joining in, the older generation is able to pass on the techniques to the young people and the Hakka spirit will be spread to every corner of Taiwan in the future.