Believe all Chinese dumplings are identical? Think twice

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A mainstay of the traditional Chinese New Year’s Eve meal with family and friends is dumplings.

However, not all dumplings are the same, informed by the wheat of northern China and the rice of the south.

Northern jiaozi

In the West, the term ‘dumplings’ is often used broadly to describe any stuffed dough dish.

However, during Lunar New Year, the dumplings enjoyed in northern and southern China vary significantly.

James Ashbridge, an Australian who spent years in Beijing, fondly recalls his first tasting of jiaozi, the dumplings synonymous with northern Chinese cuisine.

James Ashbridge in Shanghai Source: Facebook / James Ashbridge

“I was studying Chinese at Beijing Language and Culture University, and a Beijing local friend invited me to his home for the New Year. (It’s) a wonderful memory,” he said.

In northern China, jiaozi is a must-have on the Lunar New Year table. Making jiaozi together symbolises family reunion and hopeful aspirations for the year ahead.

Assembling ‘jiaozi’, the preferred dumpling in northern China. Source: iStockphoto / xijian/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Leo Li, a Chinese-Australian chef from Harbin who specialises in French cuisine, insists that all dumplings are jiaozi.

I feel like Westerners often categorise all stuffed dough foods as ‘dumplings’, but to me, dumplings mean jiaozi.

Leo Li, chef

Li reminisced about the bustling yet heartwarming scene of three generations in his family coming together to prepare New Year’s Eve dinner: mixing dough, rolling skins, making fillings, wrapping dumplings, and boiling them, all amidst lively chatter and laughter.

“We probably started preparing everything the day before, frying food and getting the ingredients ready,” he said.

Jiaozi. Source: Getty / The Good Brigade/Getty Images

Northern jiaozi are made with wheat flour, requiring a dough that’s stiff yet chewy.

The skins are crafted with precision — thicker at the centre and thinner at the edges. Fillings range from sauerkraut and pork to chives and egg, with countless variations in between.

For Ashbridge, jiaozi is more than just food, it’s a glimpse into Chinese culture.

“In Australia, we always eat jiaozi with soy sauce, but in China, they use vinegar. They never understand why foreigners prefer soy sauce — it’s too salty, they say. I’ve tried vinegar, and it’s good, but I still prefer soy sauce,” he said.

Li added that his family’s jiaozi is served with a variety of dipping sauces. His mother favours soy sauce with garlic paste, his father opts for vinegar with chilli oil, while he likes a mix of vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic paste.

Ashbridge said he had learned about traditions surrounding jiaozi while celebrating the Spring Festival with his Beijing friend: Some families put a coin inside one jiaozi, and the person who finds it is believed to be blessed with good luck for the year.

All ShanDong MaMa dumplings are hand made.

Jiaozi, the dumplings of northern China. Source: SBS / SBS Hashela Kumarawansa

Southern tangyuan

While Jiaozi are a northern tradition during the Lunar New Year, this practice sometimes transcends regional boundaries.

For example, Helen Lewis from Shanghai shares that her father worked in the north when he was younger, and he brought the tradition of eating jiaozi for the new year to the south.

Today, her family still makes jiaozi using northern methods. She also mentions another type of dumpling commonly eaten by people in southern China during the Spring Festival: tangyuan.

In my childhood memory, Shanghai tangyuan was special because if the filling was sweet, it was round, and if savoury, it had a little pointed tip. The shape told you what to expect.

Helen Lewis

Tangyuan, made from glutinous rice flour, features a soft, smooth texture. Fillings include black sesame, peanut, red bean paste, or even savoury options like pork.

In cities such as Chengdu, families eat tangyuan on the morning of Lunar New Year to symbolise unity and harmony.

However, overcooking tangyuan can cause the skins to burst — an unlucky sign.

In some regions, tangyuan is reserved for the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

Lewis also notes the popularity of other dumpling-like dishes in Shanghai, such as wontons, which her family frequently makes in Australia.

Additionally, local favourites like shengjianbao and xiaolongbao share similarities with dumplings but boast unique characteristics.

Wontons (left), shengjianbao (right) and xiaolongbao (top). Credit: Neil Li, Helen Lewis and Sandra Fulloon

For Tiffany Yu, a native of Fujian, rouyan is the dumpling that embodies the taste of home for her.

“Rouyan looks like wontons, but they’re different. Wonton skins in the north are made from wheat flour, while rouyan skins are made from fish or pork, making them firmer and chewier. We cook them with duck or quail eggs, seafood, and vegetables,” she said.

The process of making rouyan skins is labour-intensive, with some recipes requiring the dough to be hammered thousands of times.

Rouyan from Fujian. Credit: Tiffany Yu

Elaine Shi, a volunteer at the Sydney Olympic Peninsula Multicultural Community Association, is already preparing for the 2025 Lunar New Year. The association will host its annual jiaozi-making event, focusing this year on perfecting their skins.

“We’ll share the cultural origins of jiaozi, why they’re eaten during festivals, how to make the dough, mix fillings, and wrap (them),” she said.

Jiaozi-making event at the Sydney Olympic Peninsula Multicultural Community Association. Credit: Elaine Shi

“Especially during the Spring Festival, the atmosphere of making jiaozi together with the family makes people feel a stronger sense of home and belonging, especially living in Australia,” Shi said.