As the Year of the Snake approaches, "snake element" steamed buns have gained popularity in Shanxi province, with orders surging ahead of the 2025 Chinese New Year.

Jia Ruxia, a 38-year-old master of the Pingding traditional flower bun craft, has seen online sales skyrocket to nearly 900,000 yuan ($123,000) since she began taking orders in October.

"The zodiac culture is deeply ingrained in Chinese people's minds," said Jia, who has been honing her bun-making skills for 18 years. "We incorporated snake designs into our creations, and the response has been overwhelming."

Jia's company, based in Pingding county, Yangquan city, blends traditional techniques with modern aesthetics, transforming simple flour into edible works of art.

Snakes coiled around golden ingots, auspicious characters and intricate serpent scales adorn the buns, symbolizing prosperity and good fortune for the coming year.

Pingding flower buns, recognized as an intangible cultural heritage, are a staple at weddings, birthdays and festivals.

Unlike decorative dough sculptures, these buns are made with fermented dough, offering visual appeal and culinary delights.

"The green dough is infused with spinach juice, yellow with pumpkin, blue with butterfly pea flower and red with dragon fruit," Jia explained.

The buns are steamed for varying durations depending on their sizes. After that, they are kept inside the steamer for a while to achieve a smooth, glossy finish.

Driven by rural vitalization efforts, Pingding flower buns have evolved into a unique cultural symbol and a thriving industry.

Jia co-established Flower Bun Town, a production and exhibition center with an investment of over 500,000 yuan.

The center, comprising a bakery and two steamed bun shops, aims to generate annual output of 1.6 million to 1.8 million yuan. It's also projected to boost village annual revenue by 300,000 yuan, increase villagers' annual dividends by 100,000 yuan and promote local tourism.

Currently employing 10 people, including individuals with disabilities and those from low-income households, Flower Bun Town emphasizes social impact alongside economic growth.

"By passing down this ancient art, I hope the villagers can increase their incomes through their own hard work, truly achieve self-reliance and 'steam up' a prosperous life," Jia said.

In another workshop in Wenxi county, Shanxi, master Ti Jiaping is crafting her snake buns.

The colorful dough, after undergoing over a dozen processes including rolling, pressing, cutting, rubbing, pinching and snipping, transforms into a lifelike snake-shaped flower bun.

The 51-year-old explains that the golden snake flower bun, a popular product during Spring Festival, embodies people's hopes and aspirations for the new year.

The unique serpent-form bun, adorned with vibrant colors, symbolizes both good fortune and the promise of bountiful harvests and happiness.

Shanxi flower buns, which embody culinary tradition, artistic expression, and ritual significance in Chinese culture, date back over a thousand years. It was officially recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2008.