Vermicelli’s Century-Old Craft Meets E-commerce Transformation in Yanggu, Shandong

LIAOCHENG, China, Feb. 26, 2026 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/–

In Yanggu County, Liaocheng City, Shandong Province, a sweet potato vermicelli-making technique with over a century of history is evolving from a local tradition into a nationally popular “internet-famous” product for the Chinese New Year, injecting new vitality into rural revitalization.

Inside the vermicelli workshop of Guozhuang Village, Qiaorun Subdistrict, automated equipment hums in orderly operation. Pure white sweet potato starch undergoes a series of steps including kneading, extruding, boiling, and cooling, transforming into glossy, resilient noodles.

“Guozhuang vermicelli has been made since the late Qing and early Republican eras. For over 100 years, we’ve adhered to traditional methods like selecting sandy-soil sweet potatoes, stone-grinding, natural sedimentation, and low-temperature freezing,” said Guo Jinshang, Party branch secretary of Guozhuang Village. While mechanization has been introduced, key steps still rely on veteran craftsmen to ensure the vermicelli stays chewy, resilient, and additive-free.

While tradition underpins quality, innovative thinking and new business models have unlocked fresh development opportunities for this heritage craft.

In recent years, Guozhuang Village established a vermicelli cooperative, adopting an integrated “Party Branch + Cooperative + E-commerce” model. A dedicated e-commerce team has been formed, training over 50 local online sales specialists. Regular livestreaming sessions across multiple platforms have expanded sales to more than 20 regions nationwide.

“Previously, sales relied mainly on offline wholesale, which limited volume. Now, we host at least 50 livestreams daily, with online sales accounting for 30% of total revenue. We ship over 2,000 packages per day, and annual production has surged from 50,000 kg to 2 million kg,” Guo noted.

E- commerce has significantly expanded the market reach of Guozhuang vermicelli. The village’s annual output value now exceeds 40 million yuan, with collective village income reaching 300,000 yuan in 2025. The industry’s growth has brought tangible benefits to residents.

“I produce 50,000 kg of vermicelli a year and earn 200,000 yuan – several times more than before. Life keeps getting better,” shared villager Su Yuping with a smile.

From a century-old craft to a digital-age success story, Guozhuang’s vermicelli shows how tradition and technology can intertwine – one humble strand at a time – into a vivid picture of rural revitalization.

Source: Information Office of Yanggu County People’s Government