Staff members make xiebao at the Donggao Mengjia Xiebao restaurant in Rugao, Nantong on June 20. [Photo/ntfabu.com]

Early in the morning of June 20, the time-honored Donggao Mengjia Xiebao restaurant in Rugao, Nantong was filled with customers. Inside the glass windows, staff members were busy making xiebao, steamed bread stuffed with crab meat and eggs.

According to Meng Yufang, an expert at making the snack, sales at the restaurant have kept increasing over the past few years through online and offline marketing. 

The steamed bread has been sold across the country. Its online sales revenue even exceeded offline sales during the last Spring Festival holiday, Meng said.

The snack is so popular thanks to the operator's insistence on the high quality of the product.

The restaurant has been strict with its suppliers and has all of its more than 20 processing steps completed by hand to ensure quality.

In 2020, the technique of making xiebao was recognized as an intangible cultural heritage item of Nantong.