Giant pair of zongzi available at ￥2,292
(Shenzhen Daily)
Updated: 2005-05-18 16:08

A pair of big zongzi, or glutinous rice dumplings, worth 2,292 yuan (US$277), possibly the biggest in the city, went on sale at a store near Ximenkou in Guangzhou recently.

The dumplings, steamed ahead of next month's dragon boat festival, weighed four kilograms each, and took six days to make which included two days for marinating abalones and 23 hours for steaming and time spent in wrapping.

Zongzi is a special product for commemorating Warring States(475B.C. to 221B.C.) poet Qu Yuan, the great patriot who died in 287B.C.

The dumplings were made with sticky rice, mung beans, pork, chestnuts, lotus seeds, abalones, sea cucumbers, shark's fin and other ingredients.

Dry weather has reduced the yielding of leaves for wrapping dumplings since there was a period of low rainfalls in Guangdong Province, which may make dumplings more expensive to make. But it shouldn't affect the retail price, the Guangzhou Daily reported.