Bai Yunzhang Steamed Buns

Bai Yunzhang Steamed Buns

　　Created by Bai Yunzhang, a Hui Muslim noodle chef. The filling is made from minced fresh beef mixed with various seasonings, chopped and squeezed vegetables. The wrapper is made of flour, the buns are steamed to perfection. With thin wrappers, narrow edges, large fillings, rich oil aroma, beautiful shape, you can see the filling through the wrapper, the filling forms a perfect ball, and bursts with flavor upon the first bite. With over 70 years of history. —

　　　　Bai Yunzhang (1880–1944), from Tiaotou Hutong in Baoding City (behind the Western Qingzhen Mosque), was a Hui Muslim. From childhood, he trained in martial arts. At over six feet tall, with broad shoulders and a strong build, he had thick eyebrows and piercing eyes, along with a distinctive mustache. Known for his kindness, generosity, and willingness to help others.

　　His father, Bai Yuting, and mother, Bai Anshi, had three sons: eldest brother Bai Junfeng, second brother Bai Jiantan, and Bai Yunzhang as the third. Their family spanned three generations relying on small trades for a living. The three brothers apprenticed under martial arts master Ping Jingyi, learning combat, wrestling, and developing formidable internal energy skills. In the 21st year of the Guangxu reign, ethnic conflicts between the Manchu and Hui communities in Baoding led to a deadly altercation where disciples of Master Ping Jingyi killed Guan Luoyin, a Manchu martial arts instructor. The fatal incident drew official attention, prompting a manhunt. Disciples scattered—some fled to Wuhan, Tianjin, and Beijing, while others escaped to rural areas. Eldest brother Bai Junfeng went to the countryside and later made a living telling storytelling in Mahuang; second brother Bai Jiantan escaped to Beijing and worked as a bone setter; Bai Yunzhang went to Tianjin and performed martial arts street shows with his nephew Bai Xizhen. There, he took on Wu Youlin as an apprentice. The two were as close as father and son.

　　The Bun Shop Rises from Fire

　　　　After the unrest settled, Bai Yunzhang returned to Baoding with his nephew Bai Xizhen and apprentice Wu Youlin. The trio performed martial arts and sold “strength pills” at Liangyi Street in Mahuang, promoting their products. Mahuang was a bustling hub where storytellers, crosstalk performers, and food vendors gathered. The trio’s martial displays and qigong performances drew large crowds who cheered them on. After each act, Bai would cup his hands and shout, “I, Bai, thank you all for your support. Don’t leave after the show—I don’t charge for the performance. Here, try our Golden Bull Strength Pills, great for circulation and health. I’m here every day. If they don’t work, I’ll refund your money. Please support us!” (Usually, street performers passed around a donation bowl after their acts, causing many to leave.) After each show, the weapons were stored in a nearby Hui Muslim restaurant for convenience.

　　In 1924, that restaurant closed and was put up for sale. With financial help from his elder brother Bai Junfeng, Bai Yunzhang bought it cheaply. Following his master Ping Jingyi’s model of using a bun shop to connect with martial artists, Bai opened his own bun shop for the same purpose. He continued performing with his apprentice Ma Shichang and nephew Bai Xizhen while handing the bun business to Wu Youlin. As the bun shop flourished, Bai quit street performances to help run it. But fate struck on March 2, 1928, when a fire broke out after an argument over a card game at Hongshenghe Department Store in Mahuang. The flames spread throughout the marketplace, reducing the beloved bun shop to ashes.

　　From Ruins Comes Renewal. After the fire, the Baoding municipal government, together with local merchants, funded the rebuilding of Mahuang Marketplace over two years. It featured three parallel streets: Jishan East Street in the east, Jishan West Street in the middle. The new Bai Yunzhang Bun Shop was located at No. 8, west side of Jishan West Street. To its south and west was an alley leading to New Market. The shop had three front facades, spanning five bays in width and three in depth, designed as a two-story courtyard building. The ground floor had communal seating, and the upper floor featured 12 private rooms along a corridor, totaling 240 square meters. A black plaque with golden characters hung to the right of the entrance, reading “Bai Yunzhang” on one side and “Steamed Buns” on the other (about 2 meters high and 0.5 meters wide). Inside, a pair of gleaming bronze Halal signs were mounted, measuring 36.5×81.5 cm, set in a 100×45.5 cm wooden frame. They featured depictions of a soup kettle, incense burner, vase, cleaver, fly whisk, hexagonal cap, and Arabic script, with the words “Ancient Halal Faith” inscribed. Thus, a spacious, elegantly redecorated restaurant reopened.

　　The Heyday of the Bun Shop

　　　　Upon reopening, the bun shop not only resumed selling steamed buns but expanded its menu to include a variety of stir-fried dishes, delicacies from land and sea, and various hot pot meats such as Chrysanthemum Hot Pot, Mixed Hot Pot, and Assorted Hot Pot. The bun shop quickly rose to become one of Baoding’s top-tier restaurants.

　　The workforce grew to over 30 skilled individuals, each with clear roles: bookkeepers, meat buyers, meat grinders, vegetable choppers, waiters, water carriers... Working from dawn till dusk, they steamed over 30 stacks of large bamboo steamers of buns daily.

　　The Bai Yunzhang Bun Shop enjoyed a prime location in Mahuang. Whether in heavy snow or pouring rain, visitors to the market, theatergoers, and storytelling fans often dined there instead of leaving the area. Business boomed. Waiters, balancing trays on padded arms, darted between tables carrying towers of plates to customers. All year round, the spacious hall was packed. Legend has it that in 1926, Cao Kun, then interim president, visited Bai Yunzhang during his retreat at Leshouyuan in Baoding and praised the buns immensely, giving the shop free publicity. Especially after reopening, many political figures, celebrities, and artists frequented the place. It’s said that Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang visited “three times.”

　　Watching the bun-making process used to be a Baoding attraction. Crowds of adults and children would crane their necks and stand on tiptoe to peek through the windows at the chefs rolling wrappers and shaping buns. People often said, “Go watch them make buns at Bai Yunzhang!” Writer Wang Yizhi, a People’s Liberation Army literary figure, wrote in his essay *The Past and Present of the Motherland*: “Bai Yunzhang had glass windows between its north and south entrances, beneath which sat a huge dough table. Through the window, you could see more than ten workers in white attire and white Halal caps working swiftly—one hand holding a filling spatula, the other a wrapper, squeezing buns out at an incredible speed. Other workers rolled wrappers while tapping the rolling pin rhythmically. That beat had a unique cadence. A local saying went: ‘When Bai Yunzhang makes buns, the rhythm is just right!’ Revolutionary pioneer Tian Xiuchuan recalled in writing: ‘Wrapped in lotus leaves, the beef and scallion dumplings burst with juicy flavor with every bite—you can’t get enough.’”

　　The Legendary Bai Yunzhang: His Anecdotes Renowned Far and Wide

　　In his youth, Bai Yunzhang was too busy making a living to marry and postponed marriage to focus on practicing qigong. He didn’t wed until his forties, marrying Ms. Wang Caiyu from Tianjin. As they had no children, they adopted his niece Bai Xirong.

　　In his later years, Bai Yunzhang indulged in leisurely pursuits like cricket fighting and bird keeping. Once, a man named An Xiqing caught an outstanding fighting cricket in Baoding. Bai Yunzhang traded two sacks of foreign flour for it, causing a stir in the local cricket community. When Baoding hosted the “Three Autumns Festival” in Nanguan Park, Bai often went there for tea and cricket entertainment.

　　He also enjoyed raising birds. Hanging birdcages outside his shop, the melodious chirps and exquisite cages attracted passersby to pause and admire.

　　In 1932, the Baoding Martial Arts Branch was established on Qingzhen Mosque Street, where Bai Yunzhang served as an instructor teaching martial arts and wrestling. He was dedicated and rigorous. Once, several martial artists from the mosque street lost a match against a renowned wrestler nicknamed “Big Black Tower” at the Caohé Market. Determined to improve, they regrouped under Bai Yunzhang’s guidance. Dressed in traditional wrestling gear and carrying Bai’s buns for lunch, they returned to the market. Flower Butterfly Chang Dongsheng, representing them, defeated the mighty Big Black Tower with exceptional skill, launching Chang’s fame.　

　　Bai Yunzhang was generous and not materialistic. He donated to renovate the main prayer hall of the Western Qingzhen Mosque and gave 1,000 yuan to help the Qingzhen Girls’ School purchase property. His philanthropy remains a cherished tale on Mosque Street.

　　Bai Yunzhang Bun Shop in Turbulent Times

　　In 1944, Bai Yunzhang passed away due to illness. His wife, Wang Caiyu, took over the bun shop. In 1946, Wu Youlin left to take over Quansheng Restaurant across from the Ancient Lotus Pond, renaming it Yingbinlou Restaurant. It still served Bai-style buns but closed during wartime.

　　The bun shop trained second-generation successors including Niu Haiquan and He Changming. Third-generation masters included Bai Jinkui, Ma Changzai, An Wenquan, An Yongde, Li Fu, Ma Baozhen, Guo Fuming, Hei Shaojun, and Li Hongkui. Waiters included Ma Hongbin, Man Hengshan, and Wang Baochang. The dough team featured Man Kaqi and Wang Baofang (female), including one female chef, Bai Shuhui. After Bai Yunzhang’s death, the shop gradually lost its former glory. Some stayed, others pursued different careers. The masters scattered across northern cities like Taiyuan, Yangquan, Xi’an, Shijiazhuang, Beijing, and Tianjin. Today, in Taiyuan, Bai Yunzhang’s niece Bai Xirong and her husband Yan Zhongyi (former accountant) still run a Bai Yunzhang Bun Shop.

　　After liberation, the bun shop changed ownership and names: “Tonghexuan,” “Yonghexuan,” and “Dazhong Cooperative Canteen.” In 1956, it reverted to “Bai Yunzhang” after public-private partnership. During the Cultural Revolution, it was renamed “Lixin Canteen.” In 1973, Mahuang was demolished, and the shop relocated across from the Ancient Lotus Pond, next to Wanghuchun. In 1983, it restored the name “Bai Yunzhang Bun Shop,” managed by former dough chef Man Kaqi, retaining the original flavor. In September 2007, it moved to the northeast entrance of Baoding Mall. The current manager is Man Kaqi’s son, Man Yungang, under the administration of Baoding Mall. Though now smaller in scale, it still serves authentic Bai Yunzhang buns, cold dishes, and stir-fries. Due to various factors, it lags behind other major restaurants. May it uphold the legacy of this Chinese time-honored brand and continue Bai Yunzhang’s pioneering and enterprising spirit.