Festive rice cakes made in Ningbo to welcome Chinese New Year

As the Spring Festival approaches, Wang Guofu, an 83-year-old villager in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, is busy creating zodiac-themed rice cakes to welcome the Chinese New Year.

Wang is a skilled maker of rice cakes in Baifeng subdistrict. Over the past few years, his handmade zodiac-shaped rice cakes have become a popular festive food among villagers.

"Nowadays few people make handmade zodiac-shaped rice cakes. I’m the only one in the village," Wang said, "I want to promote the traditional Chinese culture and cuisine through my creations and encourage more young people to learn the traditional skill.”

In celebration of the upcoming Year of the Dragon, Wang has created dragon-themed rice cakes.

With the approach of the Chinese New Year, orders for traditional rice cakes are also on the rise. In January, total sales of rice cakes from businesses in Baifeng subdistrict reached 1.2 million kilograms.

To meet market demand, rice cake manufacturers have launched rice cakes with various flavors, such as brown sugar, mugwort and pumpkin. Customers can also customize their rice cakes in auspicious shapes like dragons and koi fish.