The true art of making bread

"The process of making bread is like playing a game. The bakery is my amusement park," Xu says. "A drawing, a pinch of hair or a flower can all inspire me."

One night, Xu had a moment of inspiration－you could say her time had come. She decided to make the melting watch from The Persistence of Memory. After several trials, in the midnight hour, she finally figured out a way to make the bread look like it was flowing, by putting a rolling pin covered with baking paper under the dough.

During the pandemic, she created 70 female portraits, which she named as Her Portraits Made of Bread.

She decorated the bread faces with almost everything she could find, from hats, earrings, to common everyday ingredients, such as tomatoes, pineapples, leaves and even dry instant noodles.

With Xu's adept hands, bread can also create a homage to life's special moments. A newly-married couple ordered dinner from her studio to celebrate their tying the knot. She wanted to give them something special so she referred to their photos and baked something resembling a photo of them, a real pleasant surprise to the couple.

Xu says she believes that innocence, passion, sharpness and a sense of humor are all important for a creator.