[Monday Foodie]Beijing Railway Station’s Dragon Boat Festival Brings Time-Honored Meat Zongzi Praised by Hu Tianlan

Written/Compiled and Reported by the Editorial Team of MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network

As the annual Dragon Boat Festival approaches, rising costs of ingredients have led to price hikes for traditional zongzi. However, Beijing Railway Station Fashion Plaza has partnered with selected premium zongzi shops that refuse to raise prices. They are exclusively offering time-honored Huzhou-style zongzi from “Xinwei Market Four Happiness Zongzi” and “Nanmen Market Shanghai Hexing Pastry Shop Fresh Meat Zongzi.” Pre-orders are open from May 12 (Monday) to June 2 (Monday), with each zongzi reasonably priced between 45 and 65 yuan, featuring rich fillings to celebrate a delightful Dragon Boat Festival.

The exclusively partnered “Four Happiness Zongzi,” now in its fifth year with Beijing Railway Station, boasts a family recipe passed down three generations and has stood strong in Xinwei Market for 40 years. Selecting fragrant Danzai leaves from Nantou’s Alishan, the Huzhou-style zongzi contain simple fillings of well-marinated meat. Even food critic Hu Tianlan can’t stop praising them. The product line includes five flavors: Signature Spare Rib Zongzi (50 yuan each), Fresh Meat & Salted Egg Zongzi (55 yuan each), Fresh Meat Zongzi (45 yuan each), Eight-Treasure Purple Rice Zongzi (60 yuan each), and Red Bean Paste Zongzi (45 yuan each). Besides pre-orders, Four Happiness Zongzi also offers on-site sales, providing busy office workers with freshly steamed, soft, and delicious zongzi—ready to eat and satisfyingly wholesome.

Additionally, this year Beijing Railway Station is exclusively introducing, for the first time, the over 60-year-old time-honored “Shanghai Hexing Pastry Shop” from Nanmen Market. Known for authentic Shanghai flavors—including Huzhou zongzi, Ningbo rice cakes, pine cakes, tangyuan, yuanbao, Jinhua ham...—it has long been a customer favorite. The second-generation owner continues the tradition of his father’s handcrafted production, soaking the glutinous rice overnight, grinding it into slurry, then steaming and pounding it vigorously with a wooden mallet until the rice dough becomes slightly chewy, followed by hand-kneading to achieve a springy, aromatic texture. The most popular zongzi include the Signature Fresh Meat Zongzi (50 yuan each), Jinhua Ham Zongzi (45 yuan each), and the health-focused Job’s Tears & Red Bean Paste Zongzi (50 yuan each), all emphasizing great taste while prioritizing wellness. Now at Beijing Railway Station, you can pre-order these classic zongzi without the wait—don’t miss out on this chance to enjoy time-honored flavors.

 

 

Beyond market-famous traditional zongzi, Beijing Railway Station Fashion Plaza also offers a more diverse selection by collaborating with top hotels to provide luxury pre-order zongzi gift boxes. The Westin Lukfook Palace presents the “Imperial Nine-Zongzi Gift Box” (Recommended Price: 1680 yuan for 9 zongzi), featuring nine exquisite varieties artfully arranged with colorful threads, including premium ingredients such as Peking duck, Shanghai dongpo pork, and abalone. The Lukfook Manor “Golden Phoenix Auspicious Zongzi Gift Box” (Recommended Price: 799 yuan for 6 zongzi) is crafted by a 40-year Hong Kong dim sum chef team, delivering restaurant-quality delights such as Truffle & Abalone Zongzi, Dried Scallop & Cured Meat Zongzi, Roselle Red Bean Zongzi, and Bird’s Nest Sago Zongzi. The Ah Yat Abalone brand offers the “Oyster King Abalone Imperial Zongzi Gift Box” (Recommended Price: 880 yuan for 4 zongzi). For those preferring lighter options, there are also chilled and sweet zongzi. The Regent Taipei’s “Sweet Zongzi Gift Box” (Recommended Price: 480 yuan for 3 zongzi) features award-winning Eight-Treasure Taro Paste Zongzi, Longan & Walnut Zongzi, and Health Purple Rice Red Bean Zongzi. The Lukfook Villas’ “Icy Heart Fairy Purple Zongzi Gift Box” (Recommended Price: 499 yuan for 10 zongzi) offers healthy and aromatic options like Grass Jelly Taro Zongzi and Purple Rice Red Bean Zongzi, leaving a lasting aftertaste.