DTF has a very strict rule requiring all soup dumplings to have exactly 18 folds of skin on the top. It has been said the taste would be different even with a difference of 1 fold.

I believe the soup filling is from frozen stock, not all fat. The filling has to be partly frozen when wrapped, so it is a very detail-oriented operation. Most restaurants have a glass partition where you can see chefs making the dumplings. Watch them counting out as they wrap the dumplings, and don't be surprised when someone carries the filling away (to be re-frozen) after a few minutes, even though the pile is still huge.

I have a patient who works at the fried rice station. According to him the most junior chefs start from rice and vegetables. Only the most senior staff get to handle the dumplings.