Bean paste flowers top ice cream at Harbin shop

At the Chinese-Baroque Historic and Cultural Block in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, a hand-crafted lilac-decorated ice cream has recently caught the attention of locals and tourists.

Using a piping bag, the owner of the ice cream shop, Liu Yue, skillfully squeezed out bean paste, which had been colored to match the flower, into individual petals, forming clusters of four or five-petal lilacs. She then arranged the lilacs on ice cream to create a lush floral effect.

Liu is a cake decorator with ten years of experience. "With Harbin's tourism booming in recent years, I came up with the idea of making flower-decorated ice cream," she said. "Last winter, I started my shop at the scenic area and began experimenting with recreating more floral designs."

"Lilacs are the city flower of Harbin, and when they bloom, the whole city is filled with their fragrance," she said.

Besides lilacs, there are also hand-crafted versions of sunflowers, cherry blossoms, and yellow roses.