Taizhou Evening News: On-site Evaluation Session for the 2024 Fifth Taizhou Characteristic Souvenirs Held — Which Gifts Best Capture the "Authentic Taizhou Essence"?

Qi Jiguang Cultural and Creative Pen & Notebook Gift Set, Yanshu Loquat Beverage, Jishan Island Dried Sand Eel... On October 25th, the Taizhou Consumer Council and the Municipal Administration for Market Regulation jointly convened the on-site evaluation session for the 2024 Fifth Taizhou Characteristic Souvenirs. Sixty shortlisted products from the preliminary review, hailing from all over the city, were displayed on-site, competing for the title of "2024 Taizhou Characteristic Souvenir."

In 2020, our city launched the first "Taizhou Characteristic Souvenir Evaluation" activity. Over the past five years, this public welfare initiative has nurtured a batch of distinctive, high-quality consumer goods bearing the imprint of Taizhou city. It has helped "Taizhou's Excellent Souvenirs" reach beyond Taizhou to domestic and international audiences, contributing to the enhancement of the city's reputation.

To date, the city has selected 2 Yangtze River Delta regional characteristic souvenirs, 19 provincial-level characteristic souvenirs, and 121 municipal-level characteristic souvenirs. This has formed a somewhat influential "Taizhou sector" for characteristic souvenirs, demonstrating a brand clustering effect for regional specialty consumer goods.

Ginger is a distinctive product emblematic of Taizhou. Xieyang Tribute Ginger from Zhang'an Street, a tribute item dating back to the Southern Dynasties with a 1,500-year history, exemplifies this. Among the products shortlisted for the 2024 preliminary review are two items from Xieyang Tribute Ginger: Air Ginger Candy and Polygonatum Ginger Tea. Also ginger-related is the "Jiang You Ni" Ginger Soup Noodle (instant food), which previously won the Gold Award in the 2024 "Zhe-Style Fine Gifts" selection and the Gold Award at the 2024 China Characteristic Tourism Commodities Competition.

Beyond delicious food items, the preliminary shortlist also includes good products with Taizhou characteristics or manufactured by well-known local enterprises, such as the Qi Jiguang Cultural and Creative Pen & Notebook Gift Set, Shen Baoshan Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture Paper-cut Bookmark, and Aishida Warm & Cute Bear · Stainless Steel Vacuum Easy-Open Cup.

The final evaluation consists of two parts: on-site evaluation and online evaluation. The 60 shortlisted products were physically displayed on-site, with consumer councils from each county (city, district) providing centralized introductions for their recommended products. An expert evaluation panel, comprising specialists in product quality management, standards management, etc., and a public evaluation panel cast their votes based on the principle of selecting the best from the good. They evaluated across six dimensions: regional relevance, quality, cultural significance, etc.

Concurrently, from October 25th to 30th, the WeChat public accounts of the Taizhou Consumer Council and the Taizhou Municipal Administration for Market Regulation opened an online voting channel, allowing citizens to vote for the "Characteristic Souvenir" they favor.

Translator：Jiayang Lin