Zhao Dayou

Zhao Dayou traces back to the Tongzhi era of the late Qing, when descendants of the Zhao family took up cake-making for a living and built the name into a leader of Ningbo's confectionery trade, expanding to more than twenty branches by the Republican period.

In Ningbo the name Zhao Dayou is almost synonymous with Ning-style festival cakes; sweets like its dragon-phoenix golden cakes carry generations of celebratory memories, and the brand marked its 150th year in 2017.

It still hand-makes Ning-style cakes from glutinous rice, sweet bean paste and pine pollen, prized for festive color and a soft, chewy texture, and traditionally served at weddings and birthdays.

Zhao Dayou is recognized as a Zhejiang Time-honored Brand and a highly regarded local pastry name in Ningbo.