A Brief History of Gushan Tianxiang Weibao Factory: The Umami of Half a Century Ago

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"Did you add MSG?"

"I don't want MSG in my noodles!"

At the noodle stalls in the streets and alleys of Taiwan in the twenty-first century, MSG has become a seasoning that everyone avoids as much as possible. Some noodle stalls and restaurants even use "No MSG added here" as an advertising gimmick, but perhaps neither you nor I know that in post-war Taiwan more than 70 years ago, everyone was competing to advertise MSG.

From Shaoxing, Zhejiang, to Taiwan to found a factory in Gushan

In the 38th year of the Republic of China, Kaohsiung's first MSG factory opened in Gushan, located at No. 44 Gushan 3rd Road, founded by He Weishi (1891-?), a native of Shaoxing, Zhejiang, of the Great Qing. This MSG factory named "Tianxiang Weibao Factory" was also one of the earliest in Taiwan to make MSG domestically. (China News Data Agency 1953:64)

Tianxiang Weibao Factory founder He Weishi

The Tianxiang Weibao Factory was established in Shanghai, China, in the 1930s, and initially had one coarse-processing factory, one fine-processing factory, and one factory making gluten and starch. After World War II, He Weishi came to Taiwan to investigate the MSG market and found that Taiwan almost entirely used Japanese goods, so the business had great prospects, and he then founded a branch factory in Gushan, Kaohsiung. In the 39th year of the Republic of China, he sent factory manager Zhao Baoyi (Note 2) abroad to purchase machinery. After the founding of the Communist Party of China, He Weishi stayed in Taiwan, and the branch factory in Gushan was also renamed "Tianxiang Weibao Factory," gradually expanding in scale. (ibid, 1953:64)

The MSG factories established after the war were able to quickly capture the Taiwan market. In addition to striving to improve equipment and production methods, this can actually be said to have depended on the Japanese disciplining of Taiwanese palates, as well as the fact that Taiwanese cooking and eating habits were more suitable for the introduction of MSG (Li Jinglu, Wang Yaoting 1969:169-70).

In 1910, the Ochi Shoten in Tainan had already begun trial sales of Ajinomoto MSG. MSG, a chemical seasoning whose component is "monosodium glutamate," was first discovered by a German in 1866, but its widespread use in food was invented by the Japanese Dr. Kikunae Ikeda in 1906. The most famous manufacturer was Ajinomoto, and during the Japanese colonial period, their products almost monopolized the Taiwan market.

In 1939, the average MSG consumption per Taiwanese person reached 120 grams. But after the outbreak of World War II, because MSG was not a strategic material, it was controlled by the Japanese government. In 1943, because maritime transport was difficult, the shipment and sale of MSG to Taiwan was stopped. It was not until two or three years after the war that several factories from Shanghai, China, such as Pacific Chemical Factory, set up factories in Taiwan, and sales were excellent. In order to protect the domestic MSG industry, the government also stopped the import of foreign goods.

MSG Magic: From Protein Decomposition Method and Fermentation Method to Synthesis Method

In the early period of MSG production, the protein decomposition method was adopted (Li Jinglu, Wang Yaoting 1969:169). The raw material used was cassava or soybean cake, but the finished product made at that time was yellowish-brown powder, very different from today's white, bright crystalline form.

In 1951, major factories improved their technology, and only then was the product white. In 1956, Japan's Kyowa Hakko developed the synthesis method. In 1959, Wei Chuan developed the production of MSG by fermentation, and the raw materials used to extract the umami were starch contained in cassava, sweet potato, rice, and wheat, among which cassava was the largest.

Because cassava has extremely wide uses in food processing, in addition to being a raw material for MSG, winemaking, malt extract, and other food processing industries, it was promoted by the government for widespread planting on mountain tenant farms and waterless areas (Note 2). Other auxiliary raw materials such as hydrochloric acid, caustic soda, activated carbon, and sodium sulfide were all quite easy to obtain, so costs were greatly reduced.

In March of the 41st year, seven MSG factories, including Pacific, Tianxiang, Wuda, Datong, Standard, Yongnan, and Tianchang, initiated the establishment of a trade association, which was formally established on November 15 of that year. At that time, a total of 11 factories applied to join. Among them, Tianxiang Huiwei Factory ranked first in output. In addition to being unmatched in Taiwan for domestic sales, the factory's products were also sold overseas to places such as the South Seas Islands, Southeast Asia, Honolulu and San Francisco in the United States, and Japan.

The existence of Tianxiang Weibao Factory witnessed the development of Taiwan's MSG industry after the war. In addition, they also organized a baseball team, the Tianxiang Weibao Team, which was extremely popular in the 40s of the Republic of China!

Today, the Tianxiang Weibao Factory on Gushan Road has long been replaced by shophouses, and the nearby Neiwei landscape has also changed from farmland to concrete shophouses. That rare umami from half a century ago has long since entered ordinary people's homes. The difference is that in the past people were amazed by its magical method, while now people both love and fear it!

Note 1: Zhao Baoyi once received the 45th year of the Republic of China "Taiwan Chemical Engineering Society Medal." The recipient of the medal in the 43rd year was Dr. Huang Chaohui, founder of Kaohsiung Ammonium Sulfate Company.

Note 2: Source: "Taiwan Provincial Starch Industry Association Petition Regarding the Province's Cassava Flour Output Being More Than Enough to Meet the Needs of the MSG Industry, Requesting the Government to Consider the MSG Industry Association's Application to Purchase Imports from Abroad, in Accordance with National Policy, Forwarded to the Provincial Government for Handling." 1961-03-10, Taiwan Provincial Council letter.

References:
China News Data Agency
1953 Industry in Free China. Taipei: China News Data Agency.
Li Jinglu, Wang Yaoting
1969 Taiwan's MSG Industry, in Taiwan's Emerging Industries, pp. 169-176. Taipei: Bank of Taiwan Economic Research Office.