Jin Jing, a 60-year-old retiree who lives in Beijing with her daughter, said people now tend to buy yuanxiao for Lunar New Year, while in the past, they made their own.

"When I was living in a rural area of Shanxi province, every family made yuanxiao during Spring Festival," she said.

"We put small, chopped fillings in a flat basket with glutinous rice and kept shaking the basket until the yuanxiao got bigger and bigger. The handmade ones taste different to those made by machines."

Shi said the factory employees responsible for shaking yuanxiao must have at least 10 years' working experience.

To promote Chinese food culture, Daoxiangcun took part in the third China International Import Expo in Shanghai last month, where it showed how traditional food such as mooncakes is made.

To teach students how the desserts are produced, the company has taken its food to local and international schools in Beijing.

Next year, at a production base in Hebei province, it plans to open a museum themed on its food.

Zhao Ming contributed to this story.