sweet+dumplings+rice+balls

汤圆是中国的代表小吃之一，历史十分悠久. 据传，汤圆起源于宋朝. 当时各地兴起吃一种新奇食品，即用各种果饵做馅，外面用糯米粉搓成球，煮熟后，吃起来香甜可口，饶有风趣. 因为这种糯米球煮在锅里又浮又沉，所以它最早叫“浮元子”,后来有的地区把“浮元子”改称元宵. 大部分南方人家习惯在春节早晨都有合家聚坐共进汤圆的传统习俗. 据说元宵象征合家团圆，吃元宵意味新的一年合家幸福、万事如意.

Tang Yuan
Tang Yuan, also called Yuan Xiao, is a kind of stuffed dumpling ball which is made of glutinous rice flour. Its history can date back to the Song Dynasty (960–1279). In Chinese, the pronunciation of Tang Yuan is similar to the word Tuan Yuan, which has the meaning of reunion and happiness in Chinese. Therefore, Tang Yuan is traditional served on the Dongzhi Festival and the Lantern Festival. It is also commonly found at Chinese weddings. It is believed that the new couple will have a sweet and round (no conflict) life. It can be filled or unfilled and its fillings can be chopped peanuts, red bean paste, sesame paste, etc. Besides the wide choice of its fillings, you may also found Tang Yuan of various colors in the market nowadays.

Rice ball is one of the Chinese famous dishes. Sweet balls start from the Song dynasty, it has dry fruit in side and stiky rice outside, tastes yummy after cooking. Because rice balls floats in the bowl. The original name is called " Fu Yuan Zi". Later on, Fu Yuan Zi is rename as Yuan Xiao.