Goubuli

Goubuli buns (狗不理包子) were founded in 1858 by Gao Guiyou of Xia Zhuang in Wuqing County, and they head the Tianjin three famous snacks. Gao Guiyou, nicknamed Gouzi, learned the bun trade in three years at a steamed-bun shop on the bank of the South Canal. In the 1920s, as the city's commercial centre moved south toward the concessions, the shop moved near Tianxiang Market in the French concession, the site of today's Quanyechang. On 15 March 1956 the state food company opened the Tianjin Goubuli shop at the old Fengzeyuan site on Tianjin Road in Heping District. Each bun is made with eighteen wrinkles, and in 2005 the 147-year-old shop was bought by Tong Ren Tang for 106 million yuan.