Xu Zhongliang, who runs a rice cake shop in Huzhou's Wuxing district, poses for a photo with rice cakes he made. [Photo/WeChat account: huzhoufabu]

Situated on Taxia Street in Huzhou's Wuxing district, the shop run by 41-year-old Xu Zhongliang is almost never seen without a queue.

One of the signature products here is dingshenggao, a type of rice cake made with glutinous rice and polished round-grained rice. It is believed that people gave this snack to soldiers before a battle during the Southern Song Dynasty  (1127-1279). The cakes were emblazoned with the word "dingsheng", meaning "must win".

The light and fluffy dingshenggao are usually made using flower-shaped molds. They can be white or pink, and some come with sweet fillings such as red bean paste or nuts. Today, people often eat dingshenggao for good luck and fortune.

"Going forward, I will stick to traditional skills while following the trend. I hope my cakes can become a name card of Huzhou snacks," said Xu, who has been making such cakes for the past 25 years.

Xu makes dingshenggao, a type of rice cake made with glutinous rice and polished round-grained rice. [Photo/WeChat account: huzhoufabu]

Dingshenggao made by Xu. [Photo/WeChat account: huzhoufabu]