It may be the largest chocolate sculpture ever. A 33-foot replica of the Great Wall of China, complete with 560 chocolate warriors, will welcome visitors to Beijing's World Chocolate Wonderland trade show.
China's relationship with chocolate hasn't been smooth. Chocolate wasn't widely available in China until the end of the 20th century, and the average Chinese consumer eats a mere 100 grams a year of chocolate -- a couple of chocolate bars. Last fall, Chinese-made chocolate was involved in a recall connected with possible contamination of the product with melamine. Domestic brands of chocolate are known for poor quality and widespread use of substitute ingredients rather than real chocolate.
But that 100 grams is twice what the average Chinese person ate in 2004, when only about a third of urban residents had eaten any chocolate at all in the entire year. Chocolate now is seen as a fashionable, trendy item, and chocolatiers in Europe and America see China as a potentially important market.
The World Chocolate Wonderland is an important step in bringing chocolate to China. And perhaps China will bring its own special touch to chocolate -- beginning with the Great Wall.
