A warrior coated in chocolate powder helps guard the Great Wall of Chocolate. (AP/NgHan Guan)
Wednesday, January 27 -- This Friday, sweets lovers in Beijing, China will see one of the seven wonders of the chocolate world as a 33-foot replica of the Great Wall of China is unveiled to the public. The chocolate landmark is just one of the exhibits which will be on display at the Chocolate Wonderland trade show opening on the 29th, in an effort to persuade the people of China to consume more chocolate.
The chocolate version of the Great Wall of China is made from individual bricks of real dark chocolate, held together with a white chocolate mortar, and accompanied by by a 560-man army of Terra Cotta Warriors, also rendered in pure chocolate. How much chocolate does such a task require? About eighty tons, reports Reuters.
Constructing the Great Wall of Chocolate was a feat of engineering, said Wang Quilu, the chocolatier behind the construction. "You have higher and lower levels and you have to fit each brick into place, one by one, to build it up," he said, adding "It's difficult."
Making the job even trickier was the fact that he had to work while ensuring that his building materials didn't melt, something the original Great Wall builders wouldn't have to worry about (although Quilu didn't have to worry about pesky Huns). He did, however, manage to stay true to detail, including one section of realistically-crumbling wall.
While Americans and Europeans need no coaxing to eat chocolate --even huge walls of it-- Chocolate Wonderland's manager, Tim Zheng, points out that chocolate hasn't been around in China for the thousands of years that it has in the West. In China, though, "Chocolate is a specialty or something given to children. In general, it is not widely known," said Zheng
Those behind the show hope that it will popularize chocolate among the more than a billion potential consumers in the Chinese market, where the most popular desserts include sweet dumplings, milk puddings, and steamed cakes with a bean paste stuffing.
The Chocolate Wonderland trade show opens to the public on Friday, with exhibitors from local areas and around the world.
And before anyone asks: No, you can't see the Great Wall of Chocolate from space.
View the slideshow for more breathtaking photos from the Chocolate Wonderland show.
Comments
Oh my..they would toss me in prison for eating the art!lol
That is really some stunning art work. Wish I could be there.
The kid in me likes the chocolate!
The adult in me likes...the chocolate!
I used to watch Jacques Torres and dream of superhuman powers with chocolate, but I think this goes right past that. Dang!
Oh wow these are awesome!
:)
Third culture kids examiner
Seattle stay-at-home moms examiner
Absolutely staggering achievement... I can't conceive of anything so vast... you are so luck to have seen it... good for you@!
What stunning photos! I wonder why they made a U.S. dollar bill. Hmm. Wow, the things you can do with chocolate.
Such creative ideas for chocolate - amazing.
Wow!
This looks fabulous. Who gets to eat all that chocolate at the end of the show? I like the history connection here.
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