Flourishing Luosifen industry drives prosperity in S China's Guangxi

Photo shows a bowl of Luosifen, or river snail rice noodles, a signature street food in Liuzhou city, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Fu Huazhou)

In merely a decade, Liuzhou, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, has transformed Luosifen, or river snail rice noodles, from a local street food into a thriving industry boosting prosperity.

The signature street food has evolved into a beloved national dish, generating an annual sales revenue of over 70 billion yuan (about $9.67 billion) across its entire industry chain. This remarkable shift has connected agriculture, processing, and culture and tourism, blazing a path of rural revitalization through the integrated development of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries.

The local government has coordinated the development of the raw materials, processing, and sales for Luosifen. Now the city is home to four key industrial clusters for Luosifen, covering over 120 enterprises, driving the growth of more than 45 leading enterprises and 180 supporting businesses.

Photo shows a breeding base for river snails, an ingredient of river snail rice noodles. (People's Daily Online/Fu Huazhou)

By establishing standardized raw material bases, Liuzhou has scaled up the cultivation of key ingredients like river snails, bamboo shoots, and long beans, and helped tens of thousands of rural households working for 20 raw material demonstration bases increase earnings. In Ligao township, Liujiang district, Luosifen farming bases have developed innovative rotational aquaculture models, such as lotus-snail-fish or rice-snail-shrimp co-cultivation, maximizing land use and increasing farmers' incomes.

With a brand value exceeding 12.56 billion yuan, Liuzhou Luosifen ranks among the top geographical indication brands across the country. Thanks to e-commerce events like the Liuzhou snail rice noodles industry e-commerce conference and livestreaming promotion, its annual express delivery volume of Luosifen has exceeded 100 million packages for four consecutive years, securing its position as a top-three product nationally. With 49,500 brick-and-mortar stores across the country, the snack boasts a business landscape spanning both online and offline channels.

Photo shows a processing plant for bamboo shoots, an ingredient of river snail rice noodles. (People's Daily Online/Fu Huazhou)

Cheng Fangxiao, president of the Liuzhou association of river snail rice noodles, said the total sales revenue of the entire industry chain reached 75.96 billion yuan in 2024. Packaged river snail rice noodles contributed 16.9 billion yuan, brick-and-mortar stores brought in 39.69 billion yuan, and supporting industries added 19.37 billion yuan.

Moreover, Liuzhou has further integrated the culture and tourism sector with the snack, driving substantial growth in tourism consumption. Some industrial parks and townships have been granted a 4A rating, the second highest level in China's tourist sites rating system. And the city sees over 10 million tourist visits annually in tourism programs like study tours related to the food.

Diners line up in front of a booth selling river snail rice noodles in Yaobu ancient town of Liuzhou city, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Fu Huazhou)

Photo shows a processing plant for river snail rice noodles. (People's Daily Online/Fu Huazhou)

Photo shows a bowl of Luosifen. (Photo courtesy of the commerce bureau of Liuzhou)