Wash the pears thoroughly. Rub their skins with a pinch of salt, then rinse under water. Peel the pears using a vegetable peeler, taking care to keep the long strips of peel. Set the peel aside. Core the pears. Rinse the red dates and goji berries separately. If using regular dried snow fungus, ensure it has been soaked for at least 2 hours in cold water and then torn into small florets.

Place the reserved pear skins in a medium-sized soup pot. Add enough water to cover them by about an inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer gently for 10 minutes. This step infuses the water with a wonderful pear essence and nutrients. After 10 minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove and discard all the pear skins. You will be left with a fragrant pear-skin broth in the pot.

Add pear chunks, red dates, and snow fungus to the pot.

Add rock sugar according to taste, then pour in the pear skin water.

Bring to medium-high heat until boiling, then reduce to low heat. Leave a small gap in the pot to prevent overflow.

Simmer for 20 minutes, until the pears are soft and the snow fungus has released its gelatin.

Optionally, add brown sugar and stir to dissolve.

Add goji berries and allow the residual heat to infuse for 2 minutes.