[Photo provided to China Daily]

Tips for making zongzi

Soak the bamboo leaves in hot water and wipe each one with a damp cloth.

Season the meats generously with good-quality soy sauce. The long cooking process leaches the salt and dilutes the flavors.

After the dumplings are boiled for the requisite time, hang them up to drip-dry. They must be completely dry before you store them away.

Relax, have fun, don't worry. It's all edible, even if they don't look too good. Wrapping the dumplings just demands practice.

Gift boxes

Top restaurants and hotels around China offer beautifully packaged gift boxes with a variety of zongzi. At Conrad Beijing, for example, you can get a package with eight stuffed dumplings (two each with fillings of osmanthus and red bean paste, oats and red bean, matcha and red bean, and Sichuan smoked pork) plus six salty eggs for 238 yuan ($35) plus 15 percent service charge.

Lu Yu in Conrad Beijing, 29 East Third Ring North Road, Chaoyang district. 010-6584-6290/6291