County's bakers rise to the occasion

As the burners below 100 griddle plates roared into action, 100 bakers waited eagerly for the starting gong. Then came the cry: "Rolling pins ready! Spatulas ready! One, two, three, go!"

The chefs were in Xiangfen, a small county in Shanxi province, for its first-ever contest to find the best baker of shaobing, a type of traditional flatbread that is a particularly popular snack in the north of China.

After more than two hours, 200 cooks had been whittled down to just one and Qiao Yongjun from Yonggu town was named the winner. He sells shaobing in Taiyuan, the provincial capital.