Residents of Pingtan, east China's Fujian province, expect that the influx of migrant workers will lead to a more diversified breakfast market.

Most local eateries serve traditional Chinese breakfast options such as fried bread, dumpling soup, meat buns, porridge and soy milk. However, there is a growing demand for more variety in food choices to start the day.

Guobianhu is a famous Fuzhou traditional snack, consisting of a bowl of soup mixed with various ingredients and topped with crispy, burnt rice.

"I miss Guobianhu so much. It was my favorite food when I was living in Fuzhou," said a resident surnamed Zhang, who works in Pingtan and has porridge for breakfast at home every day.

"If there were a store selling Guobianhu I would definitely have three bowls a day," he said.

Ms Lin, a restaurateur, said that some local people had considered offering Guobianhu, but the local chefs do not know how to prepare the dish.

However, there are several trailblazers whose spirit was welcomed.

A snack store opened next to the Chengzhong Primary School three months ago and the store says that they sell about 3,000 fried buns a day, with a queue of customers waiting outside the premises.

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Niva Whyman