China News Service, Hong Kong, November 28th. Title: Time-honored "Xu Liushan": Collective memories left to Hong Kong people for more than half a century
Author Suo Youwei Wei Huadu
It's a life habit of many Hong Kong people to eat desserts when shopping for friends and family.
To count the famous dessert shops in Hong Kong, "Xu Lau Shan" is naturally on the list.
It is a pity that this time-honored brand with a history of more than 60 years will soon be completed in Hong Kong, becoming another collective memory of Hong Kong people.
"Xu Liushan" is in an operating dilemma. It is no longer news. Many Hong Kong branches were forced to close down due to rent arrears. In December last year, there were 9 stores, but later it was reduced to only one franchise store. shopping mall.
However, the store recently announced that it will close at the end of November this year.
The reporter visited the "Xu Liushan" dessert shop in a large-scale shopping mall a few days ago and found that dozens of people had lined up outside the store half an hour before the shop opened. Ms. Wang was one of them. She bought two bags of desserts and took them away.
"When I was a child, I would buy a cup of mango aloe vera in the summer. I feel sorry for Xu Liushan's graduation, because it has many years of history." She told reporters: "Xu Liushan used to open a lot of shops in Hong Kong, Hong Kong people Like me, I buy a cup to cool off every summer. It's a memory."
In the early 1960s, Xu Ciyu, the founder of "Xu Lau Shan", inherited the name of his father "Xu Lau Shan", selling ancient tortoise paste and various herbal teas on the streets of Yuen Long, Hong Kong, and opened her first store in Pao Zhan Fang, Yuen Long in the 1970s. , Known by customers as an "old shop", still sells herbal tea, which has nothing to do with the current image of Hong Kong-style dessert shops.
"Xu Liushan" began its transformation in the 1980s. In addition to herbal tea, it also sells desserts and snacks such as coconut milk, sugar and jelly.
In 1992, the first "Mango Sago Lao" launched in Hong Kong set off a trend and established its status as a "Hong Kong-style fresh fruit dessert shop". Since then, more than 200 types of mango-based creative desserts and drinks have been launched. The equated sign is known as the originator of mango desserts and is deeply loved by the public.
The shop that stayed behind to the end is also filled with "mango style". A large poster is hung on the wall with mango desserts and slogans such as "For the love of mango" written on it. The names of the dishes on the menu are also different. Do not open "mango".
A lady who bought takeaways walked to the cashier to order food and said, “One Aiwen Mango with Taro Balls and Herbs, 3 Mango Sago, and Two Mango Balls. Thank you.”
A fifth-grade girl in elementary school said to reporters: "My parents often bring me here to eat, and I will soon graduate. I came here to buy it myself. It is mainly made of mangoes. Many mango desserts are not available for sale, and they will be closed soon. It's a pity."
Many tourists who visited Hong Kong earlier would buy a cup of "Xu Lau Shan" to taste, making it a symbol of Hong Kong.
In 2016, there were more than 260 Xu Liushan branches around the world, spread across Mainland China, Malaysia, South Korea, Canada and other places.
However, the government has not explained whether business in other places will be affected by the closure of Hong Kong stores.
In the "Xu Liushan" dessert shop in a large-scale shopping mall, three shop assistants continued to be busy, one in charge of making desserts, one greeting customers, one cashier and delivery of food.
The only 7 or 8 tables in the store have long been filled with customers. Many people took out their cameras to take pictures, hoping to fix the light and shadow that will become memories with the lens. Posters, decorations and menus on the walls are their goals.
People lined up outside the store one after another, and it was almost two hours since the store opened.
"I don't eat it myself, but my family will go to Xu Liushan to eat." A mother-in-law passing by outside the store told reporters: "Many of the early old shops in Hong Kong are closed. Like many teahouses, everyone just Memories are left. There is nothing to be a pity, it can only be said to be the changes of the times." (End)