[Video provided to en.nantong.gov.cn]

In the early hours of a winter morning, at 5 am, while the sky still clung to darkness, the first batch of fragrant, golden pancakes emerges perfectly cooked from the pot. With skillful precision, Sun Weidong, 63, scoops the pancakes, locally known as "Gang Pan Bing," from the iron surface one by one, organizes them neatly, and covers them with a warm cotton cloth.

Nestled in a small alley adjacent to the newly-constructed village in Lyusi Port, Qidong in Jiangsu province's Nantong city, Sun's food stall is a local attraction. Mr Zhang, a 68-year-old regular, always occupies the only table inside. "I have been coming here to eat these pancakes for decades, rain or shine," he said.

Sun's younger brother, Sun Weijun, a skilled pastry chef, deftly kneads, stretches, sprinkles green onions, rolls out the dough, cuts it into pieces, dips it in sweetened bean paste, and coats it with sesame seeds.

Sun Weidong then slaps the dough onto the iron surface, neatly arranging 32 pancakes. After a quick rotation, the aroma of sesame fills the air and the pancakes remain firmly adhered to the iron surface. Five to six minutes later, a pot of mouth-watering pancake is ready.

To cater to diverse preferences, Sun also serves radish pancakes, onion baked rolls, and pastry rolls. "In fact, they are all referred to as pancakes, with different fillings. Lyusi residents enjoy sandwiching two pancakes with a youtiao (fried dough stick), accompanied by a pot of tea for breakfast."