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Chinese Sticky Rice Dumpling 粽子 and Dragon Boat Festival

In late May or Early June, you may see Chinatown vendors offer sticky rice dumplings, that are actually quite large, roughly the size of a fist. This is called zhong-zi 粽子 and it has some history behind it. 

The most accepted origin story traced it to roughly 300 BC, when China was in its "Warring States" period, lots of smaller kingdoms vying for survival. A poet-politician by the name of Qu-Yuan 屈原 (pronounced chu-yuan) in the State of Chu, was exiled for opposing an alliance with the state of Qin as he feared the "ally" would later turn on them. He was proven right 28 years later when the ally turned on them and captured the Chu capital. Saddened by the event, Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the nearby Miluo River. He was beloved by locals, and many rushed to the scene, if not to save him, then to at least recover his body, but his body was never found. This was said to be the origin of the dragon boat races. Some also dropped sticky rice into the river, hoping the fish would consume that instead of the body, which is said to be the origin of the zhongzi, sticky rice dumpling. 

SIDENOTE: Northern California International Dragon Boat Festival is usually held in Oakland's Lake Meritt in September, but it could be moved to Lake Merced in San Francisco. It is usually held in September of every year. Due to COVID in 2022, the plans have not been set as of June 2022. 

The truth is probably a bit more nebulous, as the datable references linking Qu Yuan to the activities were only found a few hundred years later, about 500AD. What is known is the festival is also a celebration of start of summer and also a reminder to observe best health practices. 

For those who had never seen a zhongzi, it can be best described as a Chinese tamale, albeit, usually larger, done with sticky rice instead of corn/corn. The inside can be sweet (made of green or red bean paste) or savory (eggs, meat, peanuts, and other stuff), but wrapped in a triangular fashion in bamboo or other large leaves. It can also be wrapped in different shapes, not always triangular, but the common version is often triangular. 

Zhongzi, courtesy CC4 by Siweihuang1028

NOTE: You will sometimes see a square-looking leaf-wrapped sticky-rice item in some dimsum restaurants, called sticky-rice-chicken 糯米鷄 (noh-mai-gai in Cantonese), with Chinese sausage, shitaki mushrooms, pork, and other fillings. These are NOT considered zhongzi. Zhongzi starts with uncooked sticky rice, can be sweet or savory, and can be boiled or steamed. Noh-mai-gai is savory only, steamed, and starts with par-cooked sticky rice. 

Noh-mai-gai, courtesy CC by Bryan from Taipei



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About the author

Kasey is a professional tour guide and amateur historian who specialized in Chinatown History and Tours. You will often find him guiding groups sampling delicious food and learning interesting historical tidbits about Chinatown most weekends.

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