Mid-Autumn Festival “Mooncake Holiday” (中秋節) is a holiday of giving. What better way to impress your friends and family than giving handmade moon cakes.

Introduction

While the Mid-Autumn Festival has transformed to a BBQ outing for the family, the tradition of giving or exchanging gift boxes of moon cakes is still practiced.

Related Article: 5 Things You Must Know about the Mid-Autumn Festival

Moon cakes are not given as a present by chance. They have played a prominent role in Chinese history and is memorialized in the moon cake and the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Instead of buying moon cakes or other pastries this year, why not make them yourself. Jiu Zhen Nan, a famous pastry store based in Kaohsiung offers baking classes.

DIY Baking Class

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Jiu Zhen Nan has over a century of history in making authentic “Han Bing” (漢餅), which is commonly known as Chinese pastry. Han Bing can be seen in various occasions in Taiwan, such as festivals, weddings and celebrations.

Jiu Zhen Nan’s Cooking Lab offers DIY Han Bing workshop to public. The pastry experts will teach participants how to make Taiwanese moon cake or pineapple cake, two of the most popular pastries in their stores.

DIY Han Bing Workshop

✅  Han Bing types: Taiwanese moon cake or pineapple cake
✅  Days: Tuesdays to Sundays
✅  Timetable: 10:30-11:30/ 13:30-14:30/ 15:30-16:30
✅  Location: JZN Cooking Lab (Near Daliao MRT)
✅  Fee: $300/ person
✅  Register (RSVP recommended): 07-7018986
✅  Each person can take 6 small pastries home

Cafe

On the premises is a popular cafe. While the drink selection is limited to black coffee and select tea, they exquisitely complement the many Jiu Zhen Nan’s pastry you can order on the side. There’s even a set menu that includes a drink and pastry. They also sell gift boxes of different cakes or any combinations of cakes.

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About Jiu Zhen Nan

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Jiu Zhen Nan is a nationally renown pastry store based in Kaohsiung. It is not widely known as a Kaohsiung attraction, but it provides a wealth of history on the Han Bing pastry’s evolution over the years. The original pastry store was established in 1860, during the Qing Dynasty in Tainan. In the 1920’s, Master Chef Hsiang founded “Zhen Nan Pastry Shop” in Kaohsiung. Later, the name was changed to its current name, “Jiu Zhen Nan Pastry Store.”

Their popularity has been growing since they opened their first store. There are now over 20 stores throughout Taiwan. In 2007, they opened stores in the Taiwan High Speed Railway stations: Zuoying Station, Tainan Station, Chiayi Station, Taichung Station and Taoyuan Station. They have even expanded abroad to the Hong Kong airport.

Location

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MRT: Daliao Station (Orange Line), Exit 1

Glossary

• authentic – 真實
• exquisitely – 玲瓏
• memorialize – 紀念
• prominent – 突出
• renown – 名聲
• RSVP – 敬請回复
• transform – 轉變

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Photo Credits: Jiu Zhen Nan and My Kaohsiung, Moon cake photo: Flickr (Wee Keat Chin)