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  • SHAKING BEANS: Shen Jinzhong, a fifth-generation inheritor of the Baiyang method of drying soy bean curd, sifts soybeans (HAO TONGQIAN)
  • BEAN TO MILK: Shen (right) and Yu Ruiman grind soy beans with a millstone (HAO TONGQIAN)
  • STERILIZING: An essential ingredient in Baiyang Dried Tofu is mushui (literally: mother water), which is made according to a fermentation recipe exclusive to Baiyang. Mushui must be sterilized by boiling before it is added to the soy milk (HAO TONGQIAN)
  • SOY JELLY: Adding mushui to boiled soy milk causes it to congeal (HAO TONGQIAN)
  • PRACTICED SKILLS: The gelatinized soy milk is wrapped with cotton cloth (HAO TONGQIAN)
  • PACKAGING: Workers wrap the soy milk jelly with cotton cloth (HAO TONGQIAN)
  • TAKING SHAPE: The condensed bean curd jelly is pressed to make it solidify (HAO TONGQIAN)
  • ABSORBING FLAVORS: Tofu slices marinate in broth (HAO TONGQIAN)
  • LOSE WEIGHT: Tofu slices plump with marinade are set to be roasted (HAO TONGQIAN)
  • GRILLED: Tofu slices are roasted over coals (HAO TONGQIAN)
  • GROUP WORK: A worker tosses roasted tofu slices onto a basket to cool (HAO TONGQIAN)
  • FINAL STEP: A worker retrieves the cooled tofu slices (HAO TONGQIAN)

Baiyang Dried Tofu has been popular for over 300 years in Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, central China's Hubei Province. The paper-thin soybean curd named after Enshi's Baiyangba Town features a salty-fresh flavor and appetizing gold color.

Conventional wisdom has it that some artificial chemicals are necessary to process tofu, but Baiyangba people stick to the traditional recipe with all-natural ingredients of local soybeans, spring water and spices.

The snack was favored by the royal families of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Recently, the craft has been added to Enshi's intangible cultural heritage list.

Shen Jinzhong is a fifth-generation inheritor of the craft. Thanks to his guidance, several hundred locals make a living this way.
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