The last traditional pastry mould maker in Guangzhou races against machines

The Star

4 days ago

Speaking Mandarin with a strong Cantonese accent, Yu Zhaoji worked swiftly yet steadily on a piece of wood shaped like a pizza peel – only narrower and thicker – using his specialised carving knife.
Within minutes, delicate carved lines appeared along the circular groove in the wood, forming the perfect base for a mooncake mould. It is a craft the 65-year-old artisan has honed over half a century, continuing a family tradition that spans some 160 years.
Yu's family business, Yu Tong Shop, is the last remaining maker of handmade traditional Cantonese pastry moulds in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province and a heartland of Cantonese culture.
Founded by Yu's great-great-grandfather in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Yu Tong Shop has been producing hand-carved moulds for a wide range of traditional Cantonese pastries – not only mooncakes, but also dowry cakes and phoenix cookies – serving restaurants, pastry shops and households alike.
For centuries, handmade moulds have played a vital role in crafting Cantonese pastries, with dough pressed into beautifully carved patterns set within grooves of various shapes.
Before machines began replacing manual labour in mould making around the 2000s, Yu Tong Shop was bustling with orders from restaurants and bakeries, especially during its peak years between the 1970s and 1990s.
Today, according to Yu, handmade moulds have all but disappeared from Guangzhou's food industry, as their intricate carving and polishing processes make them far more expensive than machine-made alternatives. 'You know, speed is everything in today's world,' he said, without a pause in his hands as he continued to carve.
The ICH district features 12 shops showcasing traditional arts and crafts, like Canton enamel. — Daderot/Wikimedia Commons
Speed, nevertheless, is the very opposite of pastry mould carving, a craft that demands years of learning and practice to master.
The wood used for mould making must go through a two-year air-drying process before carving can begin, and crafting a handmade pastry mould involves dozens of meticulous steps.
Still, Yu believes machines will never surpass humans in his craft.
'Machine work is too uniform. It has no soul,' he said, adding that handmade pieces are inherently unique, much like how the left and right sides of a person's face can never be exactly the same.
Yu still makes and sells pastry moulds to high-end restaurants in Guangzhou and Hong Kong, as well as to clients in Australia, the United States, and, as he puts it, 'wherever there are Chinese'.
'After all, their roots are here, and they have profound sentiments for traditions and traditional things,' he said.
Yu noted that he doesn't worry too much about passing down the mould carving craft to the next generation of his family, who have chosen what he calls 'more profitable' career paths. He has also taken on a few apprentices, though for them, mould carving remains just a hobby. Still, Yu hopes this ancestral craft will endure for generations to come.
The traditional wooden moulds used for shaping mooncakes are made by hand. — Filepic
In August 2020, Guangzhou's first intangible cultural heritage (ICH) district opened to the public. It is part of the Yongqing Block, a historic downtown community revitalised by a renovation project launched by the local government in 2016.
The government aims to use the ICH district, which offers space for the display and sale of 12 intangible cultural heritage traditions of Guangzhou, to promote the integration of culture and tourism, as well as the preservation and continuation of traditional craftsmanship.
Yu Tong Shop was relocated from its original site to the ICH district, where it became a master's studio alongside 11 other traditional arts and crafts, including Canton enamel, Canton embroidery, bone carving and lion dancing.
In his new store front, Yu now demonstrates his carving techniques to curious tourists visiting the Yongqing Block – a popular destination in Guangzhou – from across China and abroad.
He also provides pastry mould carving workshops, both commercial sessions open to the public and non-commercial ones supported and subsidised by the government. Participants span all age groups, from young children to seniors.
'Some participants join the workshops for fun, and some to challenge themselves,' he said.
According to Yu, handmade items continue to appeal to many enthusiasts since they are crafted with heart and imbued with 'warmth and emotion'.
'If you've made (a mould) yourself, even if it's not perfect, the pastries made with it will taste better,' Yu said.
'It's hard to put into words,' he added after a thoughtful pause. – Xinhua