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Best JingBaJian in London
“Eight Beijing pastries from the imperial kitchen, each one shaped to mean something: happiness, wealth, long life, luck.”
What the real thing tastes like
JingBaJian (Chinese: 京八件; pinyin: jīng bā jiàn) is a series of eight Chinese desserts created by the Qing Imperial kitchen. It is an improvement on traditional imperial pastry called the 'big eight'. Each dessert holds a different meaning: happiness, success, long life, luck, wealth, education, excess and fertility. JingBaJian (the eight-set Beijing style pastry) is a traditional Chinese cake. "Jing" refers to Beijing and BaJian means eight pieces. It was originally made in the Imperial kitchen. With time, this dessert became popular among the public. Each cake contains a different type of stuffing baked into unique shapes. The ingredients include dates, plums, raisins, rose, red bean, sugar, banana, pepper and salt. JingBaJian evolved considerably, incorporating new ingredients such as mung bean and Liao flowers.
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JingBaJian arrived from the Qing Imperial kitchen as eight distinct pastries, each one symbolizing something essential—happiness, wealth, long life, fertility, and more. These Beijing-style cakes hold their meaning in their shape and filling: dates, plums, roses, red bean, and other ingredients baked into forms that matter. What began as imperial refinement became a public treasure, evolving over time to embrace mung bean and Liao flowers alongside the original palette.
Order it here when it has
- symbolic meaning in each piece
- traditional ingredients with modern additions
- rooted in imperial craftsmanship
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