Siyi Glutinous Rice Cake Store is built in the style of ancient Chinese architecture. [Photo/WeChat account: chongchuanonline]

The cakes and pastries at Siyi Glutinous Rice Cake Store have been an important flavor for generations of residents in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province.

The store's history can be traced back to the 23rd year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1875-1908) in the Qing Dynasty, when Wuxi businessman Wang Shengrong opened a restaurant in Nantong, including an area for selling glutinous rice cakes, which became a precursor of the Siyi Pastry Store.

Rice cakes are filled with red bean paste. [Photo/WeChat account: chongchuanonline]

In 2015, the Siyi Glutinous Rice Cake Store was recognized as a time-honored brand in Jiangsu by the provincial department of commerce; in 2020, the making techniques of Siyi pastries were recognized as a municipal intangible cultural heritage item and this year they made the provincial list.

With exquisite ingredients and a strict making process, the glutinous rice cakes at Siyi taste soft, fluffy, and smooth.

A dazzling array of glutinous rice cakes are offered at the take-out window of Siyi Glutinous Rice Cake Store. [Photo/WeChat account: chongchuanonline]

Besides special glutinous rice cakes, Siyi offers other traditional Chinese snacks such as steamed buns with crab roe, duck blood and vermicelli soup, and pan-fried dumplings.

On a comfortable day in this early winter, sit down with a couple of friends to chitchat while brewing cups of warm tea and eating Siyi's glutinous rice cakes: it's a perfect picture of Nantong residents' elegant life.