As the Dragon Boat Festival approaches, celebrations are in full swing across the globe, with dragon boat races and traditional food gaining popularity beyond Chinese communities.
This year, the demand for festive zongzi—sticky rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves—has seen a significant rise, with exports from Shenzhen alone exceeding 134 metric tons, marking a 110 percent increase compared to last year.
Traditional festivals have long been celebrated by overseas Chinese communities, and this year’s Dragon Boat Festival is no exception.
In Cape Town, South Africa, the local dragon boat association organized races and even a fun tug-of-war competition. The event attracted not only Chinese participants but also many locals eager to experience the lively festivities.
Meanwhile, the export market for zongzi has expanded considerably.
At a Shenzhen-based food factory, workers are busy preparing thousands of the delicacies daily to meet growing international demand.
Huang, a zonzi factory manager, recently gave a video tour to a British client, showcasing the production process. "This is our factory. We produce around 10,000 zongzi per day, all freshly steamed," he told the client.
Each zongzi is meticulously hand-wrapped, with skilled workers making 600 to 700 daily. However, due to surging orders, the factory has had to nearly double its workforce.
Liu, the company’s general manager, said they had 16 to 18 people wrapping zonzi last year, but they have to expand the workforce to nearly 30 this year.
With increasing interest from abroad, the factory is eyeing new markets. Deputy manager Feng revealed plans to expand further, develop markets in Singapore, the Netherlands, the U.S., and Vancouver.
Classic Cantonese savory zongzi, such as those filled with salted egg yolk and pork, remain the top export, but innovative flavors like seafood and fruit zongzi are also gaining traction.
Additionally, as this year’s Dragon Boat Festival falls earlier than usual, many export companies began receiving orders as early as late March, contributing to the notable rise in both export volume and reach.
(Marco Lam)
