SC - Cow's Milk Buns

[Craig Jones.]

Folks,

I have this recipe from YSCY and need some advice.

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Cow's Milk Buns
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White Flour (five chin), cow's milk (two sheng), liquid butter (one chin),
fennel (one liang. Slightly roasted).

[For] ingredients use salt and a little soda and combine with the flour. Make
the buns.
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When soda is mentioned, I assume it's not Sodium Bicarbonate but something
else?  Can someone advise?

Also, does anyone know what the following measurements are: chin, sheng, liang?

I've been ok when all the measurements are the same (so I can do things by
proportions) but am stumpted when the measurements are all separate.  I combed
'A Soup for the Qan' with no luck.

I showed a Taiwanese guy from the office the plates from YSCY and was quite
surprised when he could read it very well.  I assume that Chinese really has'nt
changed all that much in 700 years?

Cheers,

Drake.