Visitors to the chocolate museum on Jinjie Pedestrian Street in Tianjin tend to ask the same two questions when they spot the intricate sculptures on display: Are these really made of chocolate? Can you actually eat them? Some curious visitors even reach out to break off a piece of the exhibit and taste it.
The displays are part of a broader effort to use Chinese-made chocolate to create an immersive, experiential consumption scene. While visitors get free admission to see impressive chocolate sculptures, the real business happens in the retail and DIY zones where they buy chocolate and themed souvenirs.
China's chocolate museums combine visual spectacle, interactivity and shareable social media moments to drive foot traffic and product sales. And this trend of blending culture with chocolate products is seen as a new growth driver for the Chinese chocolate market.
Xiong Lixiang, project manager of the Jinjie chocolate museum, said the striking displays — often modeled after cultural landmarks and icons — aim to integrate cultural tourism with immersive retail.
"Chocolate has two natural advantages. One, it makes for an ideal gift. Two, it is easy to mold into any shape," she said, adding that these qualities make it a perfect fit for the cultural tourism market.
Xiong's company runs a string of stores along pedestrian streets nationwide, where chocolate displays sit alongside products that embody each destination's cultural character. For example, the Tianjin museum boasts a scale chocolate sculpture of the Century Clock, a nearly 40-meter-tall metal landmark located near the Haihe River.
The flavors, too, are unmistakably local. In Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian province, Xiong's company honors the city's official flower with jasmine-filled chocolates, while in Chongqing and Changsha, Hunan province, — two cities famed for their spice tolerance — it sells chili-flavored varieties.
Tea lends yet another distinctly Chinese twist. The company has created six tea-infused chocolates, drawing on varieties such as Wuyi rock tea and Tieguanyin.
"These products draw both locals and tourists. Foreign visitors, already acquainted with Chinese tea, tend to welcome these flavors as well," Xiong said.
Chinese food culture has reshaped chocolate for local palates, favoring a gentler sweetness at 65 percent cocoa. Xiong said her company's chocolates are less sweet than European and Russian varieties, yet not so bitter that customers struggle to enjoy them.
Chinese chocolate is beginning to cast its spell beyond tourist shops and into markets overseas. Taiping town in Tianjin's Binhai New Area has become a chocolate hub, home to nearly 20 candy and chocolate producers.
Local customs data shows the town exported 376 metric tons of chocolate products, valued at 16 million yuan ($2.4 million), in the first quarter of 2026 — year-on-year increases of 269.6 percent and 315.9 percent, respectively.
Taiping's export destinations have expanded from four to more than 10 countries and regions. As of April, Tianjin Putian Tongle Food Co exported about 30 percent of its output to overseas markets, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Thailand and South Korea.
Deng Jinxin, who has spent decades in chocolate manufacturing and serves as the company's production manager, said he has watched consumers evolve — from simply wanting chocolate to caring about taste and texture, and now to scrutinizing ingredients such as sugar and fat content. The company has responded with cocoa butter chocolate and sugar-free varieties.
Other chocolate producers in Taiping have also expanded their overseas business. Tianjin Heijingang Food's products have entered markets including South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Products with moderate sweetness and consistent quality have found customers in Southeast Asia, with one variety maintaining sales in Thai convenience stores for several years, the company reported.
For Xiong, the project manager, the chance to introduce Chinese chocolate to overseas visitors lies as much in its presentation as in its taste.
"People (foreigners) may believe the chocolate made in their home countries is the real thing. But through local creativity and the experiences we craft, we can show them just how many ways chocolate can be enjoyed," she said.
yangfeiyue@chinadaily.com.cn
