Qingshan hemp cake has a history of nearly 100 years. Legend has it that the hemp cake first appeared in the late Qing Dynasty, when the Qing Dynasty royal family served all over the Hanlin, every year after the Spring Festival, in accordance with the customary local specialties will be brought to the capital, and each other gifts to taste. Due to the hemp baked cake with exquisite materials, color, aroma and shape are excellent, doubly popular Hanlin and royal officials and dignitaries. As for when the hemp baked cake made by who, there is no way to audit. After the Xinhai Revolution, this production and sales in one of the hemp baked cake factory store, in the Castle Peak to Huangshi along the river competing to appear. At that time, the town of Castle Peak had Jiang Liji, Wan Xingheng, Xue Heren, Zhang Yimao, Zhang Langru, Heji and other six or seven factories and stores to produce and operate hemp baked cake. Jiang Liji was the earliest, with four masters in charge, business was relatively prosperous. Wan Xingheng for the largest, he invited from the Yangluo Chen Mingqing, Zhu Pao苕, Zhang Yuting, Lv Yi too masters specializing in hemp baked cake. Because Jiang Liji and Wan Xingheng are smoking cigarettes, to the war before the two stores closed down. 1938, after the Japanese invasion of Wuhan, Hankou, "five road god of wealth" joint venture to open the production of hemp baked cake Fuxing Workshop, it is Zhang Langru in charge of the operation, the personnel have Sukun Cheng, Tang Yichang, Locke Changfa, Su Yizhan. After the victory in the war, Zhang Langru to 30,000 silver dollars to buy the Fuxing workshop, renamed Hongxing grocery store, hired Wang Kaipeng, Rong Zhongliang two masters in charge of the work, the workers have Zheng Mingxi, Cao Fuduan, Hu Dingguo and so on. After this, Zhang Langru's nephew Zhang Fengming inherited in charge of the Hongxing grocery store, and Zhang Rongtang, Zhang Yixing joint stock operation, renamed Hongxing Food Factory, with a view to expanding production. During this period, several other factories and stores that produced and operated hemp baked cakes closed down due to small capital and poor business, and only Hongxing had a larger capital and slightly expanded its production. 1949 Wuhan was liberated in May, other factories and stores went out of business and changed their business, and only Hongxing Foodstuffs Factory survived and maintained a small amount of production. 1954 under the care of the People's Government, Hongxing Foodstuffs Factory not only didn't close down, but also developed into an enterprise of 20 employees, making both hemp baked cakes and baked cakes. In 1954, under the care of the people's government, Hongxing Food Factory not only did not close down, but also developed into an enterprise with more than 20 employees, making both baked sesame cakes and cakes and snacks, and gradually entering the international market, producing 40-50 boxes (50 boxes per box) per day, which were sold to Southeast Asian countries through Hong Kong. So far, the hemp baked cake formed qualitative products, one of the specialties of Hubei famous at home and abroad.
The past production of hemp baked cake is all handmade, raw material requirements are strict, although the equipment is simple, but the cake masters are meticulous, careful selection of materials, elaborate production, quality. The main raw materials are selected origin, Yingshan County, sticky rice, Xianning City, osmanthus, Huangmei County, black sesame seeds and refined sugar. Production of one hundred pounds of hemp baked cake, the proportion of ingredients is: 40% of glutinous rice, 40% of cotton sugar, oil, black sesame, cinnamon, red (green) silk **** 20%. After the material, after the combined (the raw materials repeatedly mixed), playing (playing solid into the plate of cake powder), stewing (will be loaded with cake powder on the plate above the hot water to walk through, the role of heating tight), cut (with a knife cut into thin slices in accordance with the specifications), baking (with charcoal to master the fire baking) and other processes, so that out of the production of the hemp baked cake, white color and sweet taste, fluffy and refreshing.
In 1955, the state decided to choose Qingshan as the base of Wuhan Iron and Steel, in order to support the construction of Wuhan Iron and Steel, in 1957 by the Yangtze River Foodstuffs Factory sent 28 people in Jiangjiadun (now the red steel city) to establish a branch factory, the following year May 1 put into operation. 1959 approved by the higher authorities, the Qingshan branch factory to the Qingshan District, and at the same time with the public-private Hongxing Foodstuffs Factory merged to set up a Wuhan City, the local state-owned Qingshan Qingshan Food Factory. The new factory made full use of the manpower and technology of Hongxing Food Factory in the past, inherited and developed the production process of hemp baked cake, and also produced cakes, bread, candy, cookies and other products. But due to the form of change and raw material shortage and other factors, these products are intermittent, only hemp baked cake has been insisting on the production, and continue to develop. 1965, but also added the pressure cake machine, cut cake machine, the end of the hemp baked cake manual molding and manual slicing of the history of the 1967, after the cadres and the masses of the efforts to transform the production process, the charcoal baking for the baking of electricity, the initial formation of the cutting, baking, receiving supporting the production of small-scale continuous, reducing the labor intensity of workers, and the production of the new factory. This has reduced the labor intensity of the workers and improved the production efficiency. Under the premise of maintaining the original formula, form, in 1978 through technological innovation to establish hemp baked cake production line, so that the hemp baked cake production on the road of modern production, output value, production increased significantly, the average daily output from the past 100 boxes to more than 400 boxes. Qingshan hemp baked cake has always been the best-selling confectionery, it is not only famous in and out of the province, and every year there are export tasks. 1962 and 1982 twice won the title of Hubei Province quality products. 2006, Qingshan hemp baked cake and the old Tongcheng Doupi, Wuhan Simmered Soup, Wuhan, "morning", Cailinji hot noodles, Wuhan noodle nests and so on 13 "traditional handicrafts", and so on. In 2006, Qingshan hemp baked cake was selected as one of the first municipal intangible cultural heritage lists in Wuhan at the same time as 13 traditional handicrafts.