On April 27, Harbin’s Wanda Realm Hotel’s banquet hall held a Zongzi making activity to greet the coming Dragon Boat Festival.

The executive chef, Mei Yanfeng, personally taught the people how to make Zongzi, a glutinous rice dumpling wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves, conveying the cultural connotation as well as a deep rooted emotion of the festival.

Eating Zongzi is one of the primary customs of the Dragon Boat Festival, a traditional Chinese festival in commemoration of the ancient poet Qu Yuan (340-278 BC) held on the 5th day of the lunar month of May. During the auspicious day, all the families around the country make and eat Zongzi.

Mei, the executive chef of the Chinese restaurant “Pinzhen” which is located in the hotel, made five different types of additive-free Zongzi with the help of his assistants, and packaged four into gift boxes that were designed with unique hotel elements.

All of the Zongzi were made with fine glutinous rice from Jiaxing, Zhejiang province in east China. The aroma of the glutinous rice matches well with the fragrance of the reed leaves, making it delicious with a mild taste.

The hotel’s high-quality hand-made Zongzi

Zongzi can be made with different fillings of ingredients, such as dried scallops, streaky pork, salted eggs, mushrooms and soybeans.

The five kinds of hand-made Zongzi in the hotel are - alkaline water Zongzi, Hakkas Zongzi, abalone Zongzi, cubilose Zongzi and lobster Zongzi.

Small sweet Zongzi are also offered to the people. They are filled with fragrance but are not overly sweet, they are primarily filled with rose and jujube, as well as some osmanthus.

Whether as a present for relatives or for you, Zongzi has the ability to satisfy everyone. When comparing the Zongzi with to other dishes, people tend to feel more of the festival emotion with this particular dish.

Mei’s love of Cantonese cuisines

Born in a family of chefs, Mei got interested in cooking since a young age. With the love of gourmet food, he learned from his elders and sampled almost all kinds of Cantonese dishes. “Eating rather than just cooking creates a good chef.” Mei said. To cook the delicacies to the standard he had to first taste them. He continues to enjoy his job and is continuously learning and improving.
 

A group of people make Zongzi ahead of the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival in the banquet hall of Wanda Realm Hotel Harbin on April 27. [Photo provided to China Daily]
 

A group of people make Zongzi to greet the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival in the banquet hall of Wanda Realm Hotel Harbin on April 27. [Photo provided to China Daily]
 

Two of the participants are showcasing their self-made Zongzi in the banquet hall of Wanda Realm Hotel Harbin on April 27. [Photo provided to China Daily]