A customer takes a photo of a bear-shaped soup base at a restaurant in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, Nov 21, 2016. [Photo/VCG]

Steaming hot pot is a Chinese favorite during the cold winter months. The soup base is the key to success in hot pot cooking.

In Taiyuan, Shanxi province, a hot pot restaurant offers cartoon character-shaped soup bases to attract customers. The solid soup base is made by freezing liquid into a specific shape. According to the restaurant, such a soup base takes 12 hours to make.