Quirky 'cake towels' revitalize old family business

Lin Ying-sui's round cake bases, intricate cream decorations and fruit toppings may appear delectable at first glance, but a closer look reveals that they are not actual cakes. They are, in fact, cake-shaped towels ingeniously crafted by the Taiwan entrepreneur.

These nonedible "cakes" have not only enabled Lin to rescue his family's towel factory in Taiwan but also propelled the 56-year-old entrepreneur across the sea to venture into new markets on the Chinese mainland.

Drawing inspiration from the local culture of Fuzhou, Fujian province, Lin has created towel cakes that mimic local delicacies, trees and flowers in a move that has captured public attention and gained popularity.

His assortment of charming cake-shaped towels resembling pandas, the God of Wealth, cats, mooncakes and zongzi (a festive snack made from glutinous rice) have captivated audiences and attracted visitors at exhibitions.

Hailing from Huwei township in Yunlin, Taiwan, a renowned center for towel manufacturing, Lin's family-owned factory thrived for more than four decades. During the town's heyday, it boasted hundreds of towel factories. However, the influx of cheaper imported towels resulting from international trade in the early 2000s posed a significant challenge to local manufacturers.

Upon Lin's return to his hometown in 2005 after working in game art design in Chengdu, Sichuan province, he found that only 50 towel factories, including his family's, remained operational, all on the brink of closure.

Although Lin had never been keen on entering the towel industry himself, at that juncture, he had to assist his parents in revitalizing their family's towel factory.

Observing hotels folding towels into cute shapes to attract attention, Lin saw an opportunity. The soft texture of Taiwan towels resembled cakes, sparking the idea to produce towel cakes as a unique gift product to revitalize his family's business.

A breakthrough occurred in 2005 when a children's clothing brand ordered some cake towels as gifts, which had been welcomed by customers and greatly promoted clothing sales. Lin expanded his designs to include animal shapes, ice creams, mooncakes and even local gods, creating over 300 variations of cake towels.

To his surprise, his cake towel designs quickly gained popularity, leading to patented creations. In 2008, Lin's family established a towel tourism factory offering various towel DIY courses.

With a vision to expand to the mainland market, Lin capitalized on the favorable policies of Fujian's cross-Strait integration development introduced in 2023. In January last year, he applied for an apartment in Fuzhou in a special community for Taiwan people, and officially founded his company on the mainland in May of the same year.

Currently, he shuttles between Fuzhou and Taiwan to visit clients. With the support of the local government, he has also secured opportunities to participate for free in some cultural and creative exhibitions on the mainland. In the past year, he has already signed contracts with nearly 10 enterprises and institutions in Fuzhou and has been gradually expanding his market to other cities.

To reduce transportation costs, Lin shipped towels from Taiwan to Fuzhou and employed stay-at-home moms in the local community to fold and package the products.

He has also engaged in charitable activities in neighborhoods on the mainland, teaching children, mothers and the elderly how to make cake towels.

Lin is working to establish a Taiwan youth entrepreneurship base in downtown Fuzhou, introducing Taiwan handicraft experiences with a focus on towel cake displays and DIY workshops.

"My dream is to create a 'towel Disney' on the mainland, as the market there offers vast opportunities," he said