Buns of Blessing: Honoring Ancestors with Traditional Jinnan Huamo Art

With the Dragon Boat Festival approaching, the towns and villages of southern Shanxi are enveloped in the aroma of freshly steamed huamo. This time-honored tradition sees families coming together to knead, sculpt, and steam buns crafted from locally milled wheat flour. The most iconic designs are tiger-shaped huamo, which symbolize strength, protection, and good fortune for the year ahead. These intricate buns, often decorated with natural food dyes, red bean paste, or jujubes for added detail, are placed at family altars to honor ancestors before being shared among relatives.

Beyond the home, local artisans—many recognized as inheritors of the craft—display their skills in small shops and community hubs. In Yuncheng, a bustling center of Jinnan Huamo artistry, shop windows fill with vibrant displays of buns shaped as birds, fish, lotus flowers, and other auspicious motifs. According to local custom, each motif has its own blessing: lotus for purity, fish for abundance, and tigers for protection. Residents say these buns not only express gratitude to ancestors but also send wishes for a thriving harvest and a harmonious family life.

The craft of making huamo is more than just culinary; it is an important thread binding generations. Techniques are handed down within families, with elders teaching children the careful art of molding dough into lifelike forms. This process fosters intergenerational connection and strengthens community ties. The activity peaks at this time of year, with even young people returning home to join grandparents in shaping and steaming huamo, ensuring the tradition endures despite modern pressures and migration trends.

Recognized on a national level as intangible cultural heritage, Jinnan Huamo has become a symbol of regional identity for southern Shanxi. Local authorities and cultural organizations have launched programs to preserve and promote this heritage, including workshops for schoolchildren and demonstrations during major holidays. As the festival draws near, the sight of tigers, birds, and flower-shaped buns filling kitchen counters serves as both a celebration of regional creativity and an affirmation of the values—respect for ancestors, community, and hope for the future—that continue to define the heart of Shanxi province.