Dragon Boat Festival delicacies gain popularity in overseas markets

Seasonal products for the Dragon Boat Festival, such as zongzi (glutinous rice dumplings) and other local delicacies, as well as scented sachets, have broken new ground in overseas markets, with growing demand and interest from international consumers.

At a large zongzi company's production base in Jiaxing City of east China's Zhejiang Province, workers hand-wrap a zongzi in under 30 seconds on average.

After undergoing processes like steaming, sterilization, and packaging, the zongzi are shipped worldwide.

The company has also ramped up its social media marketing efforts, utilizing live streaming to showcase the zongzi-making process.

This year, they also collaborated with the Oxford Chinese Students and Scholars Association to host a "Dragon Boat Festival Cultural Day," with guests learning how to wrap zongzi from a tutorial video played at the event.

"In our live streams, in addition to showcasing our products, we also demonstrated the zongzi-making process, introduced the origins of the ingredients, and talked about the custom, helping foreign consumers understand zongzi culture. We have also actively participated in various domestic and international exhibitions, localizing our products to align with local cultures and consumer habits to boost sales. This year, our zongzi have reached supermarkets and e-commerce platforms in Cambodia. Our red date and bean paste zongzi are especially popular in South Korea," said Shen Qian, international business manager of the company.

At Zhejiang's Yiwu International Trade Market, a global hub for small commodities, brightly colored scented sachets embroidered with words like "Fortune" and "Happiness" are neatly arranged. Their unique fragrance draws the attention of passing foreign traders.

The holiday craze has also brought attention to many local traditional foods.

To support traditional time-honored brands in expanding into international markets, Hangzhou Customs has partnered with business departments and relevant associations to launch a special initiative to help local food brands go global.

"Currently, over 10 types of time-honored brand products from Zhejiang, such as spiced dried bean curd, soy sauce, and duck tongues, have made their first successful export. Seventeen companies, including yellow rice wine producers, have successfully gained their foothold in new markets in Peru, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam. Twenty six time-honored brands have opened new export channels. In the first four months of this year, Zhejiang's total food exports reached 13.28 billion yuan (more than 1.84 billion U.S. dollars), a 24.3-percent increase year on year," said Wu Di, deputy director of the Import-Export Food Safety Division under Hangzhou Customs.

The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar. This year, it was celebrated on May 31, and the holiday runs from May 31 to June 2.

Dragon Boat Festival delicacies gain popularity in overseas markets

Dragon Boat Festival delicacies gain popularity in overseas markets

Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez said on Sunday that the country is at a critical stage and must achieve national unity, emphasizing that maintaining internal cohesion is of utmost importance.

In a televised address, Rodriguez called on the public to continue trusting the government under the current highly complex political circumstances.

Her statement comes in the wake of a January 3 military operation conducted by the United States, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were taken into custody and flown out of the country.

The operation resulted in at least 100 fatalities.

Rodriguez, who was sworn in as acting president two days later on January 5, framed her appeal for unity against this backdrop of external intervention.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan Minister of Communication and Information Freddy Nanez denounced the U.S. actions as a "war crime of the 21st century" when speaking at an international cultural event on Sunday.

Nanez condemned not only the January 3 airstrikes but also the associated cyber and electromagnetic attacks.

He accused the United States of violating international law through the forced removal of President Maduro and his wife, while attacks on civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities, represent a flagrant breach of humanitarian norms.

He reiterated that the stigmatization and military attacks against Venezuela are driven by economic interests, particularly the desire to control its abundant natural resources.

Venezuelan acting president calls for national unity amid complex situation