A giant dragon made of zongzi attracts visitors in Suichang, Lishui. [Photo/WeChat account: SC-News]

To help celebrate the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival which falls on June 14 this year, a giant dragon with a difference put in an appearance on June 3 in Pingchang Square in Suichang county – administered by Lishui city, in East China's Zhejiang province.

The mythical beast was made of zongzi – a traditional Chinese rice dumpling.

In Suichang, the zongzi are quite different in their shape, filling and wrappings from those in other areas. The zongzi used on the dragon were traditional hand-made Suichang zongzi. Unlike the traditional pyramid-shaped zongzi, the Suichang zongzi is straight and long, like a thick stick.

The 100 zongzi used on the dragon were made by more than 50 skilled zongzi masters from three local food companies over the course of one day. The length of each zongzi was limited to 1 meter.

In recent years, after featuring in Dragon Boat Festival-related activities, Suichang zongzi have become increasingly sought after by more and more consumers, according to local officials.