As China's Dragon Boat Festival approaches, Beijing's Capital Museum has reimagined zongzi, traditional sticky rice dumplings, to promote its latest exhibition, "Maize, Gold, Jaguar: A Grand Exhibition of Ancient Maya and Andean Civilizations."

Instead of glutinous rice, these special zongzi are filled with maize and quinoa — both staple crops native to South America. The innovative snack was unveiled at the 2026 Beijing Inbound Tourism Development Conference and Beijing International Cultural Tourism Consumption Expo, where it quickly drew crowds.

"This not only promotes traditional Chinese culture but also echoes our exhibition's theme, reflecting East-West cultural exchange and mutual learning," said a museum staff member surnamed Liu. "Traditional zongzi use sticky rice or millet, but this time we used maize and quinoa – ingredients imported from South America.”

The expo, running through June 7, features over 600 exhibitors, including booths from Beijing's districts, some of China's provinces, and international participants such as Uganda.