These 5 places have great qingtuan for Tomb-Sweeping Festival

Photograph: @长春大城小事 via weibo

At all good Chinese festivals, celebrations and food go hand in hand. And during Qingming Jie (today, actually), people are rushing to get their hands on qingtuan – in just a week, there were 1.2 million searches for qingtuan on Tmall, according to the e-commerce site.

The glutinous rice balls are traditionally filled with red bean paste, and while their original function was as a sacrifice during the holiday, today they've evolved into a wanghong snack worth queueing for, popular throughout spring months. Whether you're a qingtuan purist or looking to try this year's more experimental flavours, here's where to grab the little green globs now.

Shen Da Cheng (沈大成)

Image: courtesy Shen Da Cheng 

Opened in 1875, Shen Dacheng is the go-to brand for anything glutinous rice. Other than its famous red bean paste-filled qingtuan (4RMB) and salted egg yolk with meat floss qingtuan (8RMB), Shen Dacheng has also rolled out a new spicy crayfish variety. On the sweet side, opt for matcha and milk 'ice cream' qingtuan, pre-packed in fours and going at 35RMB in supermarkets and on Taobao. 

📍636 Nanjing Dong Lu, near Zhejiang Dong Lu. Multiple locations across Shanghai.

Xing Hua Lou (杏花楼)

Photograph: @胖胖胖星婷 via weibo

The pioneer in helping qingtuan become wanghong back in 2016, Xing Hua Lou's salted egg yolk and meat floss varieties (six for 50RMB) remain a favourite. To stand out in a sea of green snacks, it also created pink and purple qingtuan. If you're looking for something savoury, try its chicken and bacon flavour (six for 45RMB).

📍343 Fuzhou Lu, near Shandong Zhong Lu. Multiple locations across Shanghai.

Sunya Yan Du Xian (新雅腌笃鲜)

Photograph: @鱼文文_ via weibo

Sunya Yan Du Xian sits along a busy stretch of Nanjing Dong Lu. Usually around a ten-minute queue (longer on the actual holiday), its crab meat qingtuan (four for 80RMB) is one of its highly raved about flavours. Also, if you are into texture as much as you are into taste, Sunya has rolled out a salted egg yolk-filled qingtuan with coconut (six for 60RMB), as well as a milky sweet potato-filled qingtuan with meat floss (six for 48RMB). 

📍719 Nanjing Dong Lu, near Guizhou Lu. Multiple locations across Shanghai.

Alibaba's Hema Fresh Market (盒马鲜生)

Photograph: @就是不告诉你我是谁鸭 via weibo

Alibaba's Hema joined in the fun for the first time this year and introduced the Suancaiyu (a classic Chongqing dish of boiled fish with sour pickled cabbage and chilli) qingtuan. Interesting or odd, your call. If boiled fish isn't your thing, try out its runny salted egg and pearl mix.

📍B1, 398 Pucheng Lu, near Zhangyang Lu. Multiple locations across Shanghai.

Jing'an Bakery (静安面包房)

Photograph: @静安面包房 via weibo

Things get interesting at Jing'an Bakery. Instead of classic soft glutinous rice wrappers, the bakery instead bakes its qingtuan, giving it a dry and chewy texture. Flavours include cheesy taro and charsiew, as well as its internet-famous milk cream mochi qingtuan (12RMB), a modern twist of the traditional snack.

📍348 Fuzhou Lu, near Shandong Zhong Lu. Multiple locations across Shanghai.

More from Time Out Shanghai

Click below for more from Time Out Shanghai