Zongzi (Rice dumpling)
Introduction
Zongzi, also known as rice dumplings or sticky rice dumplings in the Western World, is a traditional Chinese food and are traditionally eaten during Dragon Boat festival (Duan Wu Jie). It can be cooked by steaming or boiling. They are mostly made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves and tied with leaf strips or strings. Fillings vary in different regions. It is a symbol of the Dragon Boat festival, eating zongzi on the festival is an important tradition among Chinese people.

History
Zongzi has a long history. There are different versions of tales about the origin of zongzi. The most well-known is that to commemorate the death of Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet and a loyal minister in the third century B.C. He loved his country and his people so he advised his king to keep peace with the neighbouring states rather than start wars. However, his advice was rejected and he was banished from the kingdom. After knowing that the capital city had destroyed in war, he despaired and threw himself into the Milo River and drowned. As people loved him, they rushed out in long boats, beating drums to scare the fish away, and scattered zongzi into the river as a sacrifice to his spirit as well as preventing the fishes from eating his body. Another version of the tale is that the soul of Qu Yuan appeared before a group of fishermen and crying out to them that he was starving because a dragon was eating his rice offerings. In order to prevent the