No Chinese New Year celebration is complete without traditional treats. At Qiangjiao, visitors kneaded dough of glutinous rice and japonica rice flour, wrapped them around fillings of various flavors, then shaped them into carps, tigers, ingots, and other cultural symbols associated with auspiciousness.

For Ningbo people, rice cakes are not simply a type of food, but also an embodiment of the New Year atmosphere and part of many time-honored customs.

On January 20, in a rice cake shop in Da'ao Village, Hengxi Town, the aroma of steamed rice permeates the air. The cooked dough is pressed by machine to form strips of steaming rice cake, which are then placed on bamboo racks for drying.

The owner of the shop, Ren Jinliang, grinds rice flour in the mill. His wife handles all the interactions with customers who come to buy rice cakes. His son, Ren Xinbo, puts the grounded flour into the steamer. The best dough-kneaders from the village are all there to lend an extra hand. The scene, though busy, is jovial and festive.

The aroma of rice cakes heralds the arrival of Chinese New Year. At Ren's shop, there is always a steady stream of customers. With their hard-working hands, the Ren family are moulding a happy holiday season and their future prosperity.