Daoxiangcun recently opened its Chaoyang Time branch at a location that housed the brand's factory from 1992 to 2005.

"We have more than 200 stores in Beijing, and we will continue to explore the specialty of each branch and bring more experiences to customers," Shi said.

According to a report on the pastry industry in China issued in December by the Timon Research Institute, which focuses on the food industry, although Chinese pastry accounts for a small proportion of the overall market, the prospects are promising. For instance, the size of the Chinese pastry market grew to 248.2 billion yuan ($36.7 billion) in 2019, up from 220.3 billion yuan in 2013.

The report said that driven by China-chic, many new Chinese bakeries, such as Dim Sum Bureau of Momo and Tiger Attitude Chartered Pastry Bank, have entered the market in the past two years by focusing on Chinese style, which has attracted investors.

Founded in 2019 in Changsha, capital of Hunan province, Tiger Attitude Chartered Pastry Bank acquired several rounds of investment in 2021 from organizations such as Sequoia China and Tiger Global.

Aiming to revitalize Chinese pastry, the brand uses low-sugar content to attract young customers. It has also collaborated with Chinese sportswear brand Meihua, domestic beverage company Jianlibao, and Television Broadcasts Limited (Hong Kong).