Spring taste offered in Hongshan town

Hongshan town in Wux'si Xinwu district is famous for its san rang rice ball, which has three fillings – meat, red bean paste and sesame. [Photo/WeChat account: xinwu_wx]

Qingming Festival, a traditional Chinese festival, also known as Tomb Sweeping Day, that takes place on the first day of the fifth solar term of the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, falls on April 4 this year.

In China, the holiday is associated with the consumption of qingtuan, green dumplings made of glutinous rice and barley grass.

Making qingtuan involves making a flour dough, putting a filling inside, and then shaping and loading the finished items into steaming baskets.

Every Qingming Festival, locals in Hongshan town make qingtuan by hand to offer sacrifices to Taibo. [Photo/WeChat account: xinwu_wx]

Hongshan town in Wux'si Xinwu district is famous for its san rang rice ball, which has three fillings – meat, red bean paste and sesame.

The rice balls are meant to commemorate the story of Taibo San Rang, in which a prince named Taibo is praised for his nobility and humility in giving away his crown to his younger brother.

Every Qingming Festival, locals in Hongshan town make qingtuan by hand to offer sacrifices to Taibo. Nowadays, the green glutinous rice ball has become a popular spring dessert for locals and people from the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

Though many dessert shops have promoted both traditional and new kinds of qingtuan to attract consumers of all ages, cooks in Hongshan town still follow tradition to make the most authentic San Rang rice balls.