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Where to get zongzi in Shanghai for Dragon Boat Festival

These places have the traditional flavours and more surprising fillings, too

By Janelle Chew Wen Yie Posted: Tuesday June 4 2019

Zongzi are one of many traditional Chinese foods. The steamed, bamboo-wrapped dumplings are usually eaten for Dragon Boat Festival, and contain sticky rice with sweet or savoury fillings. Recently, many time-honoured brands have started to experiment with traditional foods to give them an innovative twist, and that includes zongzi. Here are a few of our favourites.

Sunya Shipin (新雅食品)

Opened in 1926, Sunya is one of the oldest and most well-liked brands in Shanghai, and it stood out this year by rolling out a series of larger-than-palm-sized zongzi. Featured on its signboard is an XL zongzi stuffed with Spanish Iberico black pork and salted egg yolk (29RMB). Other special new products include the abalone and roast pork with truffle zongzi, as well as ‘eight treasures’ zongzi, which contain ingredients such as scallops, bamboo shoots, fish maw and dried shrimp. These seafood-stuffed zongzi are sold in a box of four for 388RMB and are limited edition.

719 Nanjing Dong Lu, near Guizhou Lu, or order on Tmall here.

Xing Hua Lou (杏花楼)

This time-honoured brand that dates back to 1851 is offering zongzi with Suzhou-style fillings, including pork with fermented bean curd (18RMB) and steamed pork with preserved vegetables (18RMB). On the sweeter side, it has the coconut-infused zongzi with corn (12RMB).

343 Fuzhou Lu, near Shandong Zhong Lu. Multiple locations, or order on Tmall here.

Wang Bao He (王宝和)

Hotel Wang Bao He is going all out with product innovation this year with four totally new flavours, including cured meat zongzi, as well as mung bean with lotus paste zongzi. It’s selling them in boxes of six (98RMB) and eight (168RMB). Purchase a redemption slip from Weidian before heading down to the hotel to collect.

555 Jiujiang Lu, near Fujian Zhong Lu.

Wang Jia Sha (王家沙)

Wang Jia Sha started out as a single-storey small business back in 1945 and has now morphed into a huge multi-branch operation today. Freshly made on the day itself, be sure to try out its Dried Scallop Eight Treasure zongzi (18RMB), which is filled with scallop, salted egg, chestnut, pork belly and four other ‘treasures’.

805 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Shimen Yi Lu. Multiple locations.