Written by Amélie, Year 7
On Thursday, 22nd May, to mark the Dragon Boat Festival, around 45 Year 7 and 8 students took part in a cultural lunchtime workshop where they learned how to make traditional Chinese rice dumplings, known as zongzi (粽子). The activity was led by Dong lǎoshī, Wei lǎoshī, and Wang lǎoshī, who guided students through the process over three different sessions, ensuring everyone had a chance to join in.The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duan Wu Jie, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month in the lunar calendar. It commemorates the poet Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in protest after the fall of his kingdom. According to legend, villagers threw rice into the river to keep fish from disturbing his body an act that evolved into the custom of making and eating Zongzi.
Before the workshop began, the teachers shared a brief overview of the festival’s history and demonstrated how to make the dumplings. We used soaked bamboo leaves (竹叶), sticky glutinous rice (糯米), and sweet fillings such as red bean paste (赤豆) and chocolate buttons.
The wrapping process was a hands-on challenge, with many people finding the technique of folding the bamboo leaves quite tricky. The real test came with tying the dumplings securely. That’s when Ms Dong introduced her “three angles” method, a technique for looping string over, under, and across the dumpling to keep it intact while steaming. It took a few attempts, but we were very proud of our results.
Once all the dumplings were wrapped and tied, they were placed in a large pot to boil. In class, we had watched a short video about Dragon Boat traditions, such as dragon boat racing, eating zongzi (粽子), and hanging mug wort leaves.
The final verdict? Every dumpling neatly shaped or slightly wonky was delicious. Personally, I would say red bean was my favourite as the taste had a subtle sweetness and nutty texture.
This workshop was not only fun and interactive but also an interesting opportunity to explore a Chinese cultural tradition. A big thank you to Dong lǎoshī, Wei lǎoshī, and Wang lǎoshī for making the activity so enjoyable!