A women hangs up spiced soy-sauce ducks. [Photo by Yao Xinyu/Qiantang Vision]

As Spring Festival nears, rural households in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province are busy preparing preserved delicacies.

Chickens, pork, sausages, fish, and more adorn courtyards, basking in the breeze and sunlight until they glisten with oil and release a mouthwatering fragrance.