Four pastries are made in different shapes with Chinese characters fu lu shou xi on top. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"As Spring Festival approaches, our handmade Taishan Wufu pastries have entered the peak season," said Qi Yongli, fifth-generation inheritor of traditional Chinese pastry.

According to Qi, the pastries are created by Taishan Wufu Pastry making technique, which is an intangible cultural heritage item in Taishan district, and adopts local Tai'an's agricultural products such as chestnuts, walnuts, peach blossoms, tea, and Zulai Mountain cage-free eggs as ingredients.

The pastries are handmade in mahogany moulds with exquisite patterns that have been passed down or collected through generations, Qi said.

The pastries are made in various shapes, such as gourds, peaches, and fish, and display the Chinese characters fu lu shou xi cai, representing good fortune and good health.

A pastry cook puts wheat flour made skin and stuffing into a mahogany mould for shaping to make a pastry in a kitchen of the Taishan Wufu Pastries store in Tai'an. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The mahogany moulds for making Taishan Wufu pastries. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]