Journeys of discovery

Yao Xinguo recently landed the sweet gig of sharing his beloved zongzi (rice dumpling) techniques with visitors to a new intangible cultural heritage museum.

The museum was opened on May 8 by Wufangzhai, a century-old zongzi brand based in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province.

Yao first walks the visitors, mostly families with children, through the history and culture of traditional zongzi-making before demonstrating how to wrap the glutinous rice with bamboo leaves.

Two green leaves flutter between his deft fingers, and, in no time, a plump zongzi takes shape.

Fifteen families with children signed up for the tour the first day.

The children watched intently, eager to give it a try themselves.

"One hand should hold the leaves, while the other pushes them up. Just a pinch and a fold will do," says Yao, who has been making the traditional specialty for four decades.

The children could see how the different stuffings were made from scratch and how the rice was processed before being boiled. They also tried their hands at wrapping them.