Shanghai's 9 most iconic frozen treats

Summer is at its peak, and it’s time for the Shanghainese to whip out their secret weapon: their precious ice cream or popsicles.

Stop laughing.

The city is home to China’s oldest and largest ice cream factory: Yi Min No. 1 Foods. Some of the local iced treats have been sticking to Shanghainese tongues for over half a century. 

The most iconic Shanghai ice creams are available at supermarkets or convenience stores.

For three creative ways to celebrate the city’s popsicle history in your own kitchen, click to the following page.

More on CNNGo: Top 10 desserts to beat the Shanghai heat

Guang Ming ice cream cube was once all that people wished for in summer.

1. Classic Guang Ming ice cream cube (光明牌冰砖)

A block of vanilla ice cream wrapped in wax paper and cardboard may not sound appetizing, but chuck it in a bowl, add Sprite and you’ll be pleasantly surprised. The treat was first sold in 1950 and is still a mere RMB 2.
Cost: RMB 2 at Alldays convenient stores

Shanghai's very own Neapolitan ice cream.

2. Neapolitan ice cream (三色杯)

Another old school favorite, “three color” ice cream was once a special treat with chocolate, strawberry and vanilla in one package. Gelato it's not, but pick it up for nostalgia's sake.
Cost: RMB 2.5 at FamilyMart convenient stores

Three Chinese sweets on one stick.

3. Green bean, red bean and cream popsicle (蒙牛绿色心情)

This one combines the three big Chinese sweet flavors (red bean, green bean, condensed milk) in one convenient pop. We call it chidou (red bean) pop 2.0. Forget the works: Sometimes there is nothing better than this ice stick of a popsicle to cool you down on a hot day.
Cost: RMB 3 at Alldays convenient stores

The quintessential Shanghainese popsicle.

4. Traditional saltwater popsicle (盐水棒冰)

The most classic Shanghainese popsicle is made purely with salted soda, a local equivalent to Sprite. Get one of these from your local convenience store and be prepared to hear the cashier gasp that she's serving a real lao Shanghai.
Cost: RMB 1 at Alldays and FamilyMart convenient stores

The best choice for fans of sweet and sour.

5. Hawthorn popsicle (冰工厂山楂爽)

We’ve all see Hawthorne (aka tang hu lu aka crabapples) on a stick. But the fruit's sweet and sour essence works well in popsicles, too. Relatively new to Shanghai, this ice lolly has acquired many followers, especially female ones, for its refreshing taste.
Cost: RMB 3 at Alldays and FamilyMart

Make popsicles out of traditional bean soups.

6. Green bean or red bean popsicles (赤豆棒冰和绿豆棒冰)

A typical example of how Shanghainese turn food into ice cubes. These two, made with green bean soup and red bean soup, are an old-school favorite in Shanghai. The red bean version is sweeter and the green bean lolly has a minty kick.
Cost: RMB 1 each at Wangjiao convenient store, 77 Songshan Lu, near Huaihai Zhong Lu 嵩山路77号, 近淮海中路