Opting for a career of good taste

Zang Chaiyuan has recently been working deep into the night as people are lined up for her steamed buns. The 25-year-old from Yantai, East Chinas Shandong province, has managed to turn flour into a gold mine through her ingenious maneuvers that breathe modern elements into "Jiaodong huabobo", a popular traditional food dating back more than 300 years, especially in the provinces Jiaodong peninsula.

臧柴媛最近一直工作到深夜，因为人们都在排队买她做的馒头。这位25岁的姑娘来自中国东部山东省烟台市，她通过巧妙的手法将现代元素注入到“胶东花波波”中，成功地将面粉变成了一座金矿。“胶东花波波”是一种有300多年历史的流行传统食物，在胶东半岛尤其受欢迎。

steamed buns：馒头，小笼包 flour：面粉 gold mine：金矿 ingenious：巧妙的 maneuver：动作，策略，手段，军事演习 peninsula：半岛

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Huabobo refers to a flower-shaped steamed bun, which has been a treat at local folk activities, such as celebrations and festivals.

花波波指的是一种花形状的馒头，在当地的民俗活动中，如庆祝和节日，花波波一直是一种美味。

treat：美食，享受，招待 folk activities：民间活动

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It was listed as a provincial intangible cultural heritage in Shandong in 2009.

2009年被列为山东省非物质文化遗产。

intangible：无形的 heritage：遗产

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The buns are shaped by Zangs adept hands. These shapes range from cute rabbits dressed in lion dance costumes to treasure bowls and lucky bags, among others.

包子是由臧师傅熟练的手捏成的。这些造型从穿着舞狮服装的可爱兔子到宝碗和幸运袋等等。

costumes：服饰 adept：熟练的

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They have made her an online sensation and ignited a media frenzy that has earned her approximately 100 million views on multiple platforms, including Douyin and Sina Weibo.

这些照片让她在网上引起了轰动，并引发了媒体的狂热，她在抖音和新浪微博等多个平台上的播放量达到了近1亿次。

sensation：感觉 ignited：点燃 approximately：大约

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"Its the details that matter," Zang says about the popularity of her buns.

“细节才是最重要的，”谈到包子的受欢迎程度时，臧说。

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As demonstrated in one of her videos, she took pains to create a red-flour layer to dress up her rabbit and meticulously sculpt its facial features and fur.

正如她在一段视频中展示的那样，她煞费苦心地用红面粉给兔子做了一层衣服，并精心雕刻了兔子的面部特征和皮毛。

demonstrated：证明，展示 took pains：煞费苦心的 layer：层 meticulously：细致的，一丝不苟的 sculpt：雕刻

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"I also made a point of highlighting the cuffs," she says.

“我还特别强调了袖口，”她说。

cuffs：袖口

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As the flour swells in the steamer, the rabbit seems to take on a life of its own.

当面粉在蒸笼中膨胀时，兔子似乎有了自己的生命。

swells：膨胀 steamer：轮船，蒸锅

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The corners of its mouth turn upward, and its skin springs back perfectly when Zangs fingers press it.

它的嘴角向上翘起，当藏的手指按压它时，它的皮肤完美地弹回来。

turn upward：向上转

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Many of her followers have made purchase inquiries for her buns and commented that they are too cute to be eaten.

她的许多粉丝都来咨询购买她的包子，并评论说它们太可爱了，不能吃。

purchase：购买 inquiries：调查

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"The New Year holiday is coming, and were snowed under with orders," Zang says.

“新年假期就要到了，我们的订单被淹没了，”臧说。

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Zang found her opportunity when she noticed that most of huabobo shops were running the old-fashioned way. "Their customers are basically people in the neighborhood," Zang says.

当她注意到大多数花波波店都在以传统的方式经营时，藏发现了她的机会。“他们的顾客基本上都是附近的人，”臧说。

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"Although the buns taste good, the sales channels are quite limited," she says, adding that the buns can be preserved for more than two months in a freezer, which makes long-distance sales possible.

她说:“虽然包子味道很好，但销售渠道相当有限。”她补充说，包子可以在冰箱里保存两个多月，这使得长途销售成为可能。

freezer：冰箱

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That was when she figured if she could move the intangible cultural heritage online to expand its sales and boost its popularity.

那时她想到，如果她能把这个非物质文化遗产搬到网上，扩大销量，提高知名度。

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However, it was not plain sailing at the beginning.

然而，一开始并不是一帆风顺的。

plain sailing：一帆风顺

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Her parents initially opposed her decision to open a huabobo shop.

她的父母最初反对她开花卷店的决定。

initially：最初 opposed：反对

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"They believed young people should find a steady job, like being a civil servant or a teacher," Zang recalls, adding that they also thought bun making was better for more elderly women.

“他们认为年轻人应该找一份稳定的工作，比如公务员或教师，”臧回忆道，并补充说，他们还认为包子更适合老年妇女。

civil servant：公务员

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However, she stood her ground.

然而，她坚持自己的立场。

（完）