For generations of Shanghainese, the taste of Old City God Temple (Chenghuang Miao) five-spice beans brings back a flood of childhood memories. As a classic Shanghai delicacy, these humble beans have a special place in the hearts of locals. Older residents who once lived in Shanghai’s narrow lòngtáng (alleyways) joke that the beans are so fragrant, “their aroma fills the front room and lingers all the way to the back”. Pop one into your mouth before even taking a bite and you’ll catch a whiff of delicate buttery fragrance. The taste is wonderfully complex – chewy yet tender, savoury yet sweet, with a subtle creamy finish that sets it apart from ordinary snacks.
The Birth of a Legend
The story of Shanghai’s famous five-spice beans begins in the 1930s, when a resourceful young man from Jiangsu province arrived in Shanghai seeking a better life. His name was Guo Yingzhou (郭瀛洲), and he was just 18 years old when he left his hometown of Yangzhong, Jiangsu, to make his fortune in the bustling metropolis.
After more than a decade of odd jobs – from selling books to running a street stall selling five-spice beef and dried tofu – Guo noticed that the vendors selling spiced beans at the Old City God Temple were doing brisk business. Intrigued, he bought a bag of aniseed-flavoured beans (茴香豆, huixiang dou) and began studying them intently, carefully analysing their ingredients and flavour profile. Using nothing more than a charcoal stove, Guo experimented tirelessly, tweaking the recipe and cooking method until he created something entirely new.
What Guo developed was a bean that was slightly firmer than traditional aniseed beans, yet far more flavourful than the “six-spice beans” sold by other vendors. He chose premium broad beans from Jiading, a suburb of Shanghai, and flavoured them with a blend of star anise, cinnamon, tangerine peel, sugar, and other seasonings. The result was a bean that was tender yet chewy, savoury yet sweet, with a lingering buttery aroma that came from the innovative use of food-grade flavourings.
In 1939, Guo opened his own shop at No. 7 Wenchang Road inside the Old City God Temple complex, naming it “Xinglong Guoji” (兴隆郭记号) – literally “Prosperous Guo’s Shop”. The business flourished, and Guo soon earned the nickname “King of Old City God Temple Rock Sugar Creamy Five-Spice Beans”.
The Name Game: Where “Five-Spice” Really Comes From
You might assume that “five-spice” refers to five specific spices used in the recipe. But the truth is far more interesting. According to one popular legend, the name dates back to the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing dynasty, who once tasted a delicious bean snack during his southern tours and exclaimed “Xiang, xiang, xiang, xiang, xiang!” – five times “fragrant” in a row.
When Guo Yingzhou was perfecting his recipe, he borrowed this imperial legend and named his creation “five-spice beans” (五香豆). The beans had a creamy, buttery aroma from the use of imported flavouring essences – a novelty in 1930s Shanghai. Because the beans were cooked in a sugary, salty brine that left a white frost-like coating on the surface, customers assumed the beans were coated with actual cream. Guo cleverly played along, dubbing his product “Old City God Temple Rock Sugar Creamy Five-Spice Beans” (老城隍庙冰糖奶油五香豆). Locals affectionately shortened this to simply “creamy beans” (naiyou dou).
The Art of the Perfect Bean
What makes these beans so special? It all starts with the ingredients. Guo chose only the finest broad beans – initially from Jiading’s famous “niutaban” (ox-trampled) variety, and later from Yuyao County in Zhejiang Province. These large, sticky-textured beans were prized for their ideal balance of firmness and tenderness.
The selection process was meticulous: only green-skinned beans with no yellowing or insect damage made the cut. The beans were then washed and cooked in a special double-burner stove (shuangyan zao) with two pots – one for boiling in plain water, and one for the sweet, spiced brine.
The cooking itself was a labour of love. The beans were first boiled until just tender, then transferred to the sugar pot, where they were carefully stirred and turned to ensure even flavour absorption. According to traditional methods, the beans were cooked in large copper pots for even heat distribution, with the cook standing by to stir constantly and prevent sticking. After about half an hour, when a white salt frost appeared on the bean skins, they were removed and left to cool and dry on bamboo trays.
More Than Just a Snack: A Shanghai Icon
By the 1940s, five-spice beans had become one of Shanghai’s most famous specialty products. A popular local saying captured their cultural significance: “If you haven’t tasted Old City God Temple five-spice beans, you haven’t really been to Shanghai”.
In the decades that followed, the beans became an essential souvenir for tourists visiting Shanghai. In the 1970s, the five-spice bean shop at the Old City God Temple was so popular that customers would start queuing at 1 or 2 in the morning for the 8 AM opening, with each person limited to buying just five packs.
In 1992, the “Old City God Temple” brand was recognised as a Shanghai Famous Trademark. The shop itself was one of the first in Shanghai to be named a “China Time-Honoured Brand” by the Ministry of Commerce. In 1997, a five-spice bean character named “Happy Bean” (kuaile dou) was chosen as the official mascot of the Shanghai International Tourism Festival. And in 2009, the traditional five-spice bean making technique was officially inscribed on Shanghai’s Municipal Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
How to Enjoy Five-Spice Beans – The Shanghai Way
Old Shanghainese have developed a ritual for savouring these beans, which they affectionately nicknamed cepi dou (册屁豆) – a playful reference to the beans’ reputed effect on digestion. The proper technique, passed down through generations, goes like this:
- Savour the aroma: Place a bean gently on your tongue and let your saliva slowly soften its outer layer, releasing the delicate creamy fragrance and savoury notes.
- Bite and feel: Once the outer layer is softened, bite through to experience the bean’s fine, dense texture, enhanced by the complex spice blend.
- Chew slowly: Take your time chewing to fully appreciate the bean’s layered flavour profile.
- Savour the aftertaste: As the flavours fade, notice the lingering transition from savoury to sweet – and reach for another bean.
Where to Find Them Today
Today, the legacy of Guo Yingzhou lives on through the Shanghai Five-Spice Bean Shop (上海五香豆商店) at the Old City God Temple. After the 1956 public-private partnership, Guo’s “Xinglong” trademark was registered and the production method was scaled up. The traditional craft continues to be preserved by the Shanghai Old City God Temple Five-Spice Bean Food Company, which still produces these iconic beans using time-honoured methods.
For visitors to Shanghai, a trip to the Old City God Temple isn’t complete without picking up a bag of these legendary beans. Whether you’re strolling through the bustling bazaar, exploring the historic Yuyuan Garden, or simply looking for the perfect edible souvenir, five-spice beans offer a taste of Shanghai’s past – and a creamy, savoury-sweet connection to the childhood memories of generations of Shanghainese.
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