Ancient dumplings draw many visitors

As the Dragon Boat Festival approaches, people visiting the De'an County Museum in Jiangxi province often gather around a particular display case to marvel at its contents: a pair of 750-year-old zongzi.

Eating zongzi — sweet or savory stuffed rice dumplings wrapped in plant leaves — is an enduring custom during the Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on Monday, the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.

The triangular rice dumplings in the museum, which are roughly 6 centimeters long and 3 centimeters wide, were unearthed in 1988 from a tomb built during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279).