Shanghai will launch a local snack festival on May 15 and 4,700 restaurants across the city will be offering discounts during this special period.

The festival, which will last till July 15, is part of the municipal commission of commerce's effort to boost consumption as the novel coronavirus outbreak has been largely contained in Shanghai.

The main sites of the snack festival are located in downtown in the Yu Garden shopping arcade and the Zhenru Gaoling Market in Putuo district.

More than 40 companies and brands will participate in the festival, offering snacks such as soybean milk, steamed buns and rice cake.

Many time-honored restaurants will also be taking part in the festival, offering modern renditions of traditional snacks.

Xu Zhengliu, general manager of Ningbo Tangtuan, said that they had created the new durian qingtuan, or green rice cake, before the Tomb Sweeping Day, and will launch traditional zongzi with curry beef stuffing before the Dragon Boat Festival in June.

Nanxiang Mantou, another restaurant famous for its xiaolongbao, or Chinese steamed meat buns, introduced new stuffings such as bamboo shoots and clams which have been warmly received by customers.