The longevity zongzi in Zhejiang province. [Photo/IC]

But the most famous zongzi in China are those from Zhejiang's Huzhou and Jiaxing, and these have become the national standard.

In Huzhou, salty zongzi are made with fresh pork flavored with soy sauce, while sweet zongzi are made with jujube or red bean paste, with a piece of pork fat added to make the paste even more aromatic.

Jiaxing zongzi use chicken and "eight treasure" stuffing, as well as the more common red bean paste and preserved duck egg yolk.

But fresh pork zongzi is the most popular.

The meat is taken from the hock and marinated with sugar, salt, soy sauce and baijiu (Chinese liquor) to give it plenty of flavor. It is then wrapped in bamboo leaf and boiled.