Eating glutinous rice balls is a traditional custom of China people, especially in the south of the Yangtze River. "Round" means "reunion" and "perfection". Eating glutinous rice balls during festivals symbolizes family harmony and auspiciousness, so glutinous rice balls are also called "floating yuanzi".

There are also some good things in the stuffing, that is, sesame seeds, peanuts and all kinds of nuts, as well as red bean paste. Nut raw materials have high nutritional value, and bean paste also contains a lot of protein and minerals. In contrast, chocolate stuffing has the lowest nutritional value. It is likely that cocoa butter and chocolate-flavored spices are put in it, and the so-called creamy dumplings have similar problems. As for the glutinous rice balls filled with salty meat, there is more oil and little merit.

Yuanxiao is slightly different from glutinous rice balls. Yuanxiao is made of dry powder, with smaller stuffing and more powder. It is very hard to cook and hard to harden. The glutinous rice balls are wrapped in wet powder after being scalded and kneaded by glutinous rice, usually with large stuffing and soft and delicate cooking. Originally, glutinous rice flour was sticky and difficult to melt. In terms of starch digestion, Yuanxiao was more difficult than Tangyuan. But for people who have difficulty digesting fat, dumplings are more troublesome.