In pics: traditional brown sugar production in Yiwu City, China's Zhejiang

A sugar factory worker airs brown sugar syrup in Shangyang Village of Yiwu City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Nov. 15, 2025. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

Boasting a history of making brown sugar for more than 300 years, Yiwu is known as the "home of brown sugar." Processed via traditional methods involving iron pot boiling and firewood heating to ensure the purity of the sugar, the resulting sugar has a light yellow color with a hint of cyan. 

Sugar factory workers cook fried dough twist, known as Mahua, with brown sugar syrup in Shangyang Village of Yiwu City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Nov. 15, 2025. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

A sugar factory worker cooks fried dough twist, known as Mahua, with brown sugar syrup in Shangyang Village of Yiwu City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Nov. 15, 2025. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

A sugar factory worker airs fried dough twist, known as Mahua, which here is made with brown sugar syrup, in Shangyang Village of Yiwu City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Nov. 15, 2025. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

This photo shows fried dough twist, known as Mahua, which here is made with brown sugar syrup, in Shangyang Village of Yiwu City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Nov. 15, 2025. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

A drone photo shows workers harvesting sugarcane in Yiwu City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Nov. 15, 2025. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)