Chinese people have been celebrating the Spring Festival and enjoying dumplings for centuries. Dumplings are always a kind of popular food in Northern China and are often found on the table during the Spring Festival. Dumplings are in the shape of Yuanbao. They carry people’s wishes to the New Year. Eating dumplings during the Spring Festival means “Bring in health and treasure”. Dumplings are also a symbol of home and warmth.
There are many legends (传说) about the origin (起源) of dumplings, but no one knows who invented dumplings exactly. Nowadays, many agree that dumplings were first created by medical Saint Zhang Zhongjing in the Eastern Han Dynasty. At that time, dumplings were used for medicine. It is said that Zhang noticed that many people’s ears were frostbitten (冻伤) when he returned to his home-town one winter. He decided to help them. So he wrapped (包) mutton, pepper and some warming medicinal (药用材料) in dough (面) . Folding them into the shape of an ear. Then he boiled them in water before giving them to the poor. This food was first called “Jiao’er” for its shape, and later the name slowly became Jiaozi.
Nowadays, dumplings are popular around the world. Many people have regarded them as a symbol of Chinese culture.
【小题1】Dumplings are always a kind of popular food in western China.【小题2】Dumplings are in the shape of Yuanbao and also a symbol of home and warmth.
【小题3】Dumplings were used for medicine in the Eastern Han Dynasty.
【小题4】Zhang Zhongjing created dumplings to tell people the importance of ears.
【小题5】The article is mainly about dumplings’origin and culture.
