Cypress-smoked pork lines Guizhou shops for Spring Festival

Window displays across shops in Tongzi county, Guizhou province, are filled with freshly prepared cured pork as Chinese New Year approaches.

Cured meats are local household staples and a customary centerpiece of family reunions during the Spring Festival holiday.

Guizhou-style cured pork, in particular, is a traditional southern specialty, smoked to a dark, glossy finish. Shops offer pork smoked over cypress branches, which gives the meat a deep color and a savory aroma.

Each year around the winter solstice, shops step up sausage stuffing and pork smoking to meet rising demand and provide customers with a variety of flavors.