Poetic Zongzi
During the Dragon Boat Festival, we eat sweet or savory rice dumplings to remind us of our ancestors who tried to lure the fish away from eating Qu Yuan, the exiled politician and poet.
Fold these origami papers, illustrated with poems written by Qu Yuan during his exile to make your own Zongzi. Place them in a bowl to decorate your house for the holiday.
Below you will find some additional links to explore Qu Yuan’s poetry and Zongzi dumplings even further!
Basket assembly instructions
Follow these steps to build your own Zongzi Basket.
1 Connect both wooden pieces by interlocking the notches as shown.
2 Position the spiral on top of the wooden pieces. Align the openings in the center with the wooden notches before pressing firmly to connect.
3 Adjust the wooden pieces to make a connection with each of the 4 notches along the spiral’s perimeter.
4 Fill your basket with Poetic Zongzi and display in your home to celebrate the poetry of Qu Yuan!
Want to read the full poem Li Sao by celebrated poet Qu Yuan?
Check out this English translated version!
Want to try your hand at making real zongzi?
Check out this page for tips and a recipe!
