Grandma Chen begins her day at the bakery. [Photo/WeChat account: zsqdly]

Ruihe Bakery is a traditional bakery that originated in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The shop sports an old-fashioned wooden door, simple decor and has a distinctive aroma permeating from it.

All the pastries on display are made by 80-year-old Grandma Chen herself.

To make these snacks, Chen wakes up before sunrise to knead dough and prepare the fillings. According to her, all the snacks are made by hand and are free of additives and antiseptics.

Despite her age, Chen can still perform all the steps required in the pastry making process, such as milling rice, mixing flour and steaming pastries, with admirable finesse.

Tiaozigao, or glutinous rice flour cakes, is Ruihe's most popular dish due to its fragrance and soft texture. "Tiaozigao must be made with sweet-scented osmanthus. The essence of the cake lies in this flower," said Chen.

She also noted that she uses soft sugar instead of white granulated sugar as it produces a better flavor.

As Grandma Chen gets older, she makes fewer kinds of pastries than she used to be but tiaozigao is the must-be-made pastry each day.

Ruihe Pastry also offers different kinds of pastries for different seasons, such as tiaozigao for spring, steamed black buns for summer, moon cakes for autumn, and fried glutinous rice snacks with sesame for winter.

Despite her age, Chen can still prepare her pastries with admirable finesse. [Photo/WeChat account: zsqdly]

Ruihe Bakery's snacks are popular in Zhoushan. [Photo/WeChat account: zsqdly]