Gangyagou

Gangyagou was started in 1926 by Jiang Dingfa, nicknamed "Jiang Agou," who first sold tangyuan from a stall near Ningbo's City God Temple before opening a shop on Kaiming Street. The odd name is a dialect pun, and its sign pairs a jar (gang), duck (ya) and dog (gou) with the word for sweet dumplings, an image woven into old Ningbo's collective memory.

After making essentially one bowl of dumplings for nearly a century, Gangyagou has become shorthand for Ningbo tangyuan itself, a taste that returning natives seek out first.

The wrappers are milled from fine local glutinous rice; the filling blends soft white sugar, black sesame and top-grade lard, prized for a thin skin, generous heart and a chewy yet non-sticky bite that releases a rush of fragrant oil.

Gangyagou is a recognized China Time-honored Brand, and its dumpling-making craft is listed as a Ningbo municipal intangible cultural heritage.