Sweet and savory: Zongzi beyond your expectation

The smallest – Shanghai zongzi

Shanghai mini zongzi. [Photo/CGTN]

The smallest one sold at the City God Temple of Shanghai measures four centimeters long with ham as its filling and fits quite comfortably in the mouth. Some prefer to enjoy it with a cup of Chinese tea.

Some restaurants in Shanghai serve tiny zongzi barely larger than a person's finger. Fifty grams of glutinous rice and four little cubes of ham are wrapped up into a batch of four cute zongzi.

The most romantic – Hangzhou zongzi

Hangzhou couple zongzi. [Photo/CGTN]

In Tangxi ancient town in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, zongzi even has "gender," divided into "males" in the more common shape of a pyramid and "females" in a quadrangular pyramid. The latter is also nicknamed the "axe zong."

Aside from the shape, what's inside is another clue to the zongzi's gender. Male zongzi are usually stuffed with nothing or shredded lotus root whereas female ones are filled with red beans or meat. People in Tangxi town recall that zongzi actually served as gifts sent mutually that symbolize the beginning of a formal relationship among couples.

Boys with pyramid-shaped zongzi and girls with axe zong attended a party for blind dates, where the boy would give his zongzi to the one he falls in love with, and if he receives the girl's zongzi in return, a love story would blossom.