A Milan clerk asked tourists to bring him one Chinese candy — and a global relay began

It all started with a crumpled candy wrapper.

At Hotel Flora in Milan, a front-desk clerk named Karem surprised a Chinese guest during checkout. Instead of the usual hotel small talk, he carefully pulled out a flattened red wrapper — from Hsu Fu Chi crispy peanut candy — and made a polite request:

“If you come to Milan again, could you bring me this candy? I’ll pay for it.”

Months earlier, a Chinese traveler had given him a piece of the sweet. The taste stuck with him so much that he kept the wrapper for months. The challenge? The candy is hard to find in Milan, especially for Karem, who doesn’t speak Chinese and couldn’t easily search for it or buy it locally.

The treat itself is iconic in China. The crunchy sweet — made with roasted peanuts, sugar, and a flaky caramelized texture — is a classic snack in China, especially popular during Chinese New Year when families buy big assorted candy boxes.

The story might have ended there — until a Rednote user @小津孙在米兰旅游 shared the encounter online. The post quickly went viral and sparked a wholesome “global sweet relay.” Chinese visitors arriving in Milan began bringing different flavors of Hsu Fu Chi candies to the hotel.

Soon coworkers and even nearby shop owners joined the fun, forming a 52-person candy wish list.

Then Hsu Fu Chi itself stepped in — sending Karem a big box of candies and inviting him to visit its factory in Dongguan.

All because one man saved a candy wrapper 🍬