Zongzi is the main food at the Dragon Boat Festival in China, made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings. In general, the fillings used for zongzi are Chinese black mushrooms, salted duck eggs, scallops and pork. They are wrapped in bamboo leaves and cooked by steaming or boiling.
Dragon boat festival is a traditional festival in China. This festival began during the Warring States period.
Quyuan, a minister of Chu Kingdom, tried to align his kingdom with Qi; he hoped that together Chu and Qi could fight against Qin. Other ministers opposed Quyuan's position, so he was banished to the border of Chu. In the year 278 B.C., the Qin army breached the border of Chu capital; Quyuan was so sad to see the devastation of his nation that on the 5th of May, he
held a big stone and sank himself into Miluo river.
After his death, people of Chu went to the river to grieve over him. The fishermen rowed boats to search his body. In order not to let Quyuan's body be eaten by fishes or crabs, a fisherman threw prepared rice balls and eggs into the river. Many people followed his behavior. Some threw Xionghuang wine into the water to giddy snakes. Some wrapped rice balls with leaves and used colorful ropes to tie them; this food was given to a dragon that was believed to live in the river. These rice balls in leaves developed into the Zongzi that we eat nowadays. Since then, in memory of Quyuan, there ha been a custom of Dragon boat competitions, eating Zongzi and drinking Xionghuang wine on the 5th of May.
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