Better life

Liangpi, originating from the cuisine of Shaanxi province, has developed a unique flavor in Ningxia Hui autonomous region, where it's served with a sauce that's spicy, tangy, garlicky, savory and fragrant, hitting every possible flavor note.

"Twenty-eight years have passed since I started to sell liangpi for a living," Ma said.

She came to Ningxia Hui autonomous region from Hubei province with her husband in 1982.

"At that time, we lived a hard life, and my children were young, so I can only make something at home to sell for money," she said. "Fortunately, one of my fellow villagers knew how to make liangpi, and selflessly taught me."

"In the first 17 years that I made liangpi, every day I had to knead and rinse the dough by hand ceaselessly until the water was saturated with starch from the dough."

"That's too painstaking, especially in winter."

As President Xi Jinping highlighted the importance of diligence and hard work to complete the creation of a moderately prosperous society in all respects when extending Spring Festival greetings to all Chinese at a reception in Beijing on New Year's Eve, it is diligence and hard work that help Ma Fenglan lead a better life.

Ma's business is the only famous trademark in Ningxia Hui autonomous region that produces liangpi.

"My work is much easier now," she said. "I have employed eight workers and most of the production processing can be done by machine."