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 th...
An exploration of San Francisco Chinatown typically NOT covered by tours