Exploring origin of northern China’s sweet sticky rice dumplings(1/3)

A Dragon Boat Festival-themed wall at Nanxiebao Village in Handan City, north China's Hebei Province, June 16, 2026. (Photo provided to China News Service)

Ahead of the Dragon Boat Festival, residents of Nanxiebao Village were busy filling orders for zongzi. Known as the birthplace of sweet stuffed zongzi in northern China, the village boasts a history of more than 600 years of making the traditional delicacy.

Villagers wrap sweet-stuffed sticky rice dumplings (zongzi) at Nanxiebao Village in Handan City, north China's Hebei Province, June 16, 2026. (Photo provided to China News Service)

Villagers wrap sweet-stuffed sticky rice dumplings (zongzi) at Nanxiebao Village in Handan City, north China's Hebei Province, June 16, 2026. (Photo provided to China News Service)