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Grade 12: Making Dumpling and Xiaolongbao as a Way of Learning Chinese Culture

December 20, 2016

Grade 12: Making Dumpling and Xiaolongbao as a Way of Learning Chinese Culture

On the morning of December the 19th, all non-native Chinese students marched towards the students’ canteen, a place they’ve never been to before, from Xianmian Building to learn how to make dumplings and Xiaolongbao as a way of learning about Chinese food， an important part of Chinese culture, in a firsthand way.

All teachers and students washed their hand in the basin outside the canteen before actually making dumplings and Xiaolongbao. Looking at 2 bowls of filling, one of meat and one of vegetable, some students might feel a bit frustrated: How on earth could they make these raw, unfeeling materials transform into steaming hot dumplings and Xiaolongbao? First we should learn from the masters. After carefully watching the masters demonstrate, students can’t wait to make their own dumplings and Xiaolongbao. For students who made dumplings for the first time, it’s a bit hard to wrap everything into the wrapper, but it’s good to see them make progress step by step: First, a big wrapper and only a tiny bit of filling, and then, filling proportionate to the size of the wrapper with the help of the glue, water, and after they thought they have mastered the skill of making beautiful dumplings and Xiaolongbaos, they began to make dumpling and Xiaolongbao of various styles and shapes. After all, the point of making food, especially that of dumpling and Xiaolongbao, is to get fun and eat cooked food, and the two goals are achieved. After waiting for a few minutes, students queued up to get their dumplings and Xiaolongbao one by one. Is the food delicious? The empty bowls tell everything.

Hope next time when asked about what’s their favorite Chinese food, students wouldn’t give me the answer: Malatang! There's still much more to explore other than dumpling and Xiaolongbao!

（Written by Hu Di Picture by Hu Di Yu Lijia)