A worker puts fresh dates in the sorting machine at a workshop in Lanxi, Zhejiang province. [Photo/Tide News]

As date harvest season peaks, a workshop in Yaocun village, Lanxi — a county-level city in Jinhua, Zhejiang province — is busy turning green dates into honeyed dates.

This craft, with a history of over 400 years, was added to Lanxi's intangible cultural heritage list in 2018. Tang Meijuan, a fifth-generation keeper of the craft, runs a workshop in Lanxi.

Tang said, "Processing begins on Aug 1 until fresh date supplies end. We make about 1,500 kilograms of honeyed dates daily."

The process is a detailed 18-step manual task. Selected plump, thin-skinned fruits are washed and carved, then boiled with sugar with careful heat control. After draining the syrup, the dates are slow-roasted over pine charcoal. The whole process takes nearly 24 hours.

Meeting customers' demands for health and naturalness, Tang cut sugar content and added new flavors like osmanthus. She also made gift box sets for festivals like Mid-Autumn Festival and Dragon Boat Festival.

Popular locally and sold in cities like Shanghai and Hangzhou, these handmade treats now sweeten traditions beyond their hometown roots.