Xiaolongmantou crafts may enter national cultural heritage

A Xiaolongmantou banquet for hundreds of people [Photo/jiading.gov.cn]

The workmanship of Nanxiang Xiaolongmantou (steamed buns) from Jiading district in Shanghai was recently listed by the Ministry of Culture as a recommended representative project of national-level intangible cultural heritage.

Xiaolongmantou, juicy pork wrapped in paper-thin flour skins, are among the most popular local snacks. As a local intangible cultural heritage, Xiaolongmantou boasts a history of over 140 years, with the workmanship passing on from generation to generation since the reign of Emperor Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

"Making Xiaolongmantou is more than a job to my apprentices and me; it is a move to carry on the cultural legacy of our ancestors," said Li Jiangang, the sixth generation successor, whose apprentices have become the backbone of the next generation. He also opened a workshop and gave classes to educate young people.

With the aim of promoting its tradition, Nanxiang town has been hosting a Xiaolongmantou Cultural Exhibition every year since 2007, and this has become an important event of the Shanghai Tourism Festival. A series of activities takes place during the exhibition, such as a Xiaolongmantou making contest, a Xiaolongmantou banquet for hundreds of people and an exhibition of the intangible cultural heritage of the Yangtze River Delta area.

So far, restaurants specializing in Nanxiang Xiaolongmantou have been opened in many Asian countries and regions, where people can taste traditional Chinese food.