Sweet treats and loving hands to make them: How can you miss with such a gift? Binghuoyouhuo, a do-it-yourself chocolate shop at Xidan in Beijing's Xicheng district, drew crowds of customers Friday, including the two friends below who worked together. Photos by Feng Yongbin / China Daily

Small chocolatiers

Search "Valentine's chocolates" at China's largest e-commerce site, Taobao, and you'll find tens of thousands of items available, including hand-made chocolates with lovers' names and sweet wishes, chocolates shaped like the iPhone 4, chocolates made into bouquets and chocolates filled with mustard or hot pepper.

The eBay-styled site reported more than 40,000 boxes of chocolates were sold every day last week, 105 percent more than the week before Valentine's Day last year.

Dong Xiaohua, food sector manager at Taobao.com, said Truffles, Dove and Ferrero Rocher are among bestsellers online.

Apple Liu, an imported-chocolate vendor at Taobao, said: "The market is competitive and getting more so. You have to inject inspirations and creative ideas as much as you can ...

"I have sold almost 200 boxes of black chocolates mixed with Hello Kitty, Doraemon or teddy bear-shaped candies in the past week, priced from 200 to 500 yuan," she said. "Adorable boxes tied with delicate silk ribbons are another key to the chocolate business."

Han Song emphasizes individualism in chocolate by turning it over to amateurs - with guidance.

He opened a do-it-yourself chocolate shop named Binghuoyouhuo (the temptation of ice and fire) at Xidan in Beijing's Xicheng district in 2004. The inspiration came from his girlfriend, who enjoined him to send her self-made chocolates on Valentine's Day, as she had seen in Hollywood movies.

No matter how clumsy or handy, he said, lovers have headed to the shop and its various molds, colorful syrups and chocolate liquids to stir something up for their sweethearts. And yes, the shop will be open on Valentine's Day for those who push deadlines.

Cao Yin contributed to the story.