SHIJIAZHUANG, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Once limited to the traditional hawthorn fruit coated in a brittle sugar shell, bingtanghulu or tanghulu, China's iconic crispy fruit snack, is now bursting with bold new flavors.

In north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, skewers are stuffed with milk skin, a local creamy dairy delicacy, and dried yogurt. In southern regions of the country, the stick of sugar-coated fruits now features entirely new fillings like durian, osmanthus and taro, all tucked into the center of a tangy hawthorn.

These innovations mark just the beginning of a booming industry that has transformed this humble street snack into a beloved treat.

Foodies who step into the Xishi Bingtanghulu Global Flagship Store in Shijiazhuang, capital of north China's Hebei Province, can find a world of sugar-glazed colors: ruby-red hawthorns, golden pineapples, deep-purple yams, and even pale-green lemon slices.

The 500-square-meter store offers 42 tanghulu varieties and 56 hawthorn-based snacks, generating over 3 million yuan (about 422,458 U.S. dollars) in annual revenue, according to Zhang Taixue, head of Shijiazhuang Xishi Catering Management Co., Ltd.

Tanghulu, which dates back over 800 years, is no longer just a nostalgic treat but a thriving industry today. In Hebei Province, one of its major producing bases, the annual sales revenue from tanghulu and related products has reached 2.5 billion yuan, fueled by both industrial leaders and specialized villages.

In Dashuliuzhuang Village of Hebei's Xiong'an New Area, over 3,000 villagers are involved in the production and sale of tanghulu. Every year, from National Day to next March, the village sends out mobile teams nationwide to operate 1,500 tanghulu stores or stalls in supermarkets, shopping malls and tourist attractions. These tiny skewers have become a major income source, with over 100 million sticks sold annually across China.

Back in 2003, when street vendors still dominated the trade, Zhang Taixue and his partner Zhang Peng opened the first dedicated tanghulu store in Shijiazhuang. They adhered to traditional sugar-coating techniques, producing a thin, crisp shell that crackles satisfyingly with each bite.

They even commissioned kraft paper bags featuring scenes from ancient Chinese paintings and wrapped each skewer in rice paper. These thoughtful details attracted long queues from day one. In its first month, the store generated 75,000 yuan in revenue, with a net profit exceeding 20,000 yuan.

Over the decades, the company has secured a stable supply of premium hawthorns from east China's Shandong Province. To enhance efficiency, they developed customized machines for washing, pitting and drying the fruit, employing ozone bubble sterilization and air-drying tunnels. Prioritizing child safety, they replaced sharp bamboo sticks with flat popsicle sticks.

Recognizing that many customers couldn't finish a full skewer or wanted to try multiple flavors, they introduced mini skewers, packaged in playful gift boxes with five different flavors, which quickly became bestsellers, Zhang Taixue said.

More than 60 percent of the candied hawthorn products produced by Hebei Xiong'an Zicheng Food Co., Ltd. are mini skewers. The company has developed over 40 tanghulu varieties to cater to regional taste preferences, with its semi-finished products shipped via refrigerated trucks to dozens of cities nationwide.

Xishi's self-owned and franchise stores have expanded to over 700 locations across major Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chengdu, and Changsha, with annual tanghulu sales exceeding 100 million sticks.

Fueled by viral videos on overseas social media, the candied hawthorn skewers have made their way abroad, with a growing number of outlets opening in Seoul, the Republic of Korea, and other cities in recent years, reflecting their rising global popularity. ■