Shengjian originated in Shanghai in the 1920s, generally next door to the Tiger Stove (water boiler), a small store with a half-open doorway, a stove made from a tar barrel in front of the store, a cast-iron pan on top of it, and a long board inside, which was the prototype of the shengjian store.

Later, Huang Chujiu, a famous entrepreneur in Shanghai and a pioneer of China's new pharmaceutical industry, introduced shengjian to his family's Luochunge teahouse, and since then shengjian steamed buns have become the signature food of Luochunge teahouse. The earliest shengjian was a snack served by both the Tiger Stove and the teahouse, but as shengjian became more popular in Shanghai, stores specializing in shengjian appeared from the 1930s onward.

Shanghai calls buns "steamed buns," so the term "shengjian manju" is actually "shengjian baozi". Shengjian Steamed Buns are a native Shanghai snack and are said to have a history of hundreds of years. Originally, steamed buns with pan-fried bread were served in teahouses and tiger stoves (watering holes) as a part-time specialty. Filled with fresh pork and jellied skin, after the 1930s, Shanghai's catering industry had a professional store of pan-fried steamed buns, and the fillings were increased to include chicken, shrimp and many other varieties.

Shengjian Faction

Shengjian is divided into two factions: "Mixed-water Shengjian" and "Clear-water Shengjian". Mixed-water pan fry is now more prevalent, the early "Luo Chunge pan fry" is the most representative of today's well-known in Shanghai "abundant pan fry" and "small Yang pan fry" also belong to this category, this kind of pan fry The main ingredients are fresh pork and meat jelly.

Qingshui shengjian, on the other hand, does not add meat jelly to its fillings, and is best known for the long-established "Dahu Chun", which was founded in 1932. Because it's one of the most popular breakfast dishes in Shanghai, it's sold at old Shanghai restaurants such as Qiao Jiajie Restaurant and Wang Jia Sha.

Suzhou is best known for its shengjian (pan-fried buns) sold at the Wuyuan Teahouse, which opened in 1911, and today's well-known shengjian manju stores include "Mute Shengjian," "Da'ai Er Shengjian Shop," "Boss Room Shengjian," "Boss Room Shengjian," "Boss Room Shengjian" and "Boss Room Shengjian. The most famous bun shops today are "Mute Shengjian", "Da A Er Shengjian Shop", "Big Boss Room Shengjian" and "Short Foot House Shengjian".