Guizhou villagers make red rice cakes for Chinese New Year

The lively preparations for making red rice cakes to welcome the Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, has kicked off in Wengbei Village, Tongren City, southwest China's Guizhou Province, with villagers gathering together amidst laughter and joy.

As a traditional food in Tongren, red rice cakes take glutinous rice as the main ingredient and non-glutinous rice as secondary ingredient, and are made through multiple steps including grinding the rice, preparing a starch paste, kneading the dough, rolling it in red rice, and finally steaming it. During the process, edible red pigment is used to dye the rice, resulting in a finished product with a bright red color, round shape, and soft, glutinous and sweet taste.

Red rice cakes are a staple at major festivals in the local area, symbolizing prosperity and family reunion. As well as Spring Festival, they are also made for occasions such as weddings and birthday celebrations, symbolizing luck and prosperity. The techniques for making them have been passed down to this day, with some families making dozens of catties every year, and they continue to be deeply loved by people of all ages.