As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, the “Tong Family Huamo” from Tongjiazhuang Village, Xiaobotou Town, Wudi County, Binzhou City, has entered its peak sales season. This traditional steamed dough art, which combines folk dough modelling techniques with modern aesthetics, preserves the wheat aroma of rural memories while embracing a new Chinese cultural trend, quietly gaining popularity in the market.
Walking into the “Tong Family Huamo” workshop in Tongjiazhuang Village, a rich aroma of wheat fills the air. In front of the worktables, pastry makers are busy kneading, shaping, rolling and cutting. Ordinary lumps of dough seem to come alive in their hands. Kneading requires precise control of strength, sculpting demands creativity, and decorative cutting requires patience. In a short time, lifelike jade rabbits, plump pomegranates and blessing pouches symbolizing reunion take shape. When the steaming baskets are opened, clouds of steam rise as the huamo appear white, plump and full. With festive colours added, they combine the simplicity of traditional dough sculpture with the delicacy of modern aesthetics.
“Beyond upgrading the appearance, we have also simplified the ingredients of Tong Family Huamo,” said the workshop director, a municipal-level representative inheritor of intangible cultural heritage. In response to modern consumers’ preference for low-sugar and low-fat diets, the workshop has introduced sugar-free and low-sugar versions, making the texture softer and more pleasantly chewy, suitable for people of all ages. In terms of design, in addition to traditional zodiac animals and auspicious patterns, the workshop has also launched Chinese-style trendy collections featuring themes such as “Mid-Autumn Moon Appreciation” and “Chang’e Flying to the Moon,” precisely matching the aesthetic preferences of younger consumers. Traditional huamo are no longer merely “old-fashioned items” reserved for festivals, but have become a new form of Chinese cultural trend that can be photographed, shared and gifted to family and friends.
This model of combining “traditional craftsmanship + new recipes” has successfully enabled traditional huamo to transcend geographical and age boundaries. According to sales data from the store, since August, orders for “Tong Family Huamo” have nearly doubled compared with the previous month. In addition to local residents purchasing them offline, many young people working away from home have placed orders through online channels such as WeChat mini programs and livestream shopping, sending the hometown delicacy to relatives and friends far away. One consumer said that what they received was not only a piece of huamo, but also a heartfelt connection to their hometown and a Mid-Autumn Festival blessing.
To truly make this traditional craft “trendy,” the workshop has continued to explore new approaches in packaging and communication. Simple and elegant gift boxes, auspicious greeting cards and short videos showcasing the production process have allowed more people to discover the craftsmanship behind huamo. The inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage noted that traditional skills should not remain only behind exhibition glass; they must become part of everyday life and reach dining tables, continuing through innovation and being revitalized through the market.
From rural workshops to online orders, from traditional dough sculpture to trendy Chinese-style huamo, “Tong Family Huamo” has shaped a new expression of cultural heritage with a piece of dough and created a sweet flavour of rural revitalization through steaming craftsmanship. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, this time-honoured craft carrying the aroma of wheat and the spirit of craftsmanship is entering households across the country in a younger and more fashionable way.
