Origin-
Jiaozi evolved from wonton. In its long development process, there are many names, such as "prison pill", "flat food", "dumpling bait" and "powder horn" in ancient times. It was called "Crescent Moon Wonton" in the Three Kingdoms period, "Wonton" in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, "Crescent Moon Wonton" in the Tang Dynasty, "Jiao Zi" in the Song Dynasty and "Flat Food" in the Ming and Yuan Dynasties. The Qing Dynasty was called "jiaozi".
Jiaozi originated in the Eastern Han Dynasty and was initiated by Zhang Zhongjing, a medical sage. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhang Zhongjing, a medical sage, saw people suffering from hunger and cold and their ears were frozen rotten on the bank of the White River in his hometown. In winter, he asked his disciples to set up a shed near Dongguan, Nanyang, to distribute medicine, cook it with mutton and cold-expelling herbs, and add ear-shaped "ear-dispelling soup" made of leather bags. It is said that after eating it, the body will get hot and both ears will soon heal. Zhang Zhongjing sent medicine until the 30 th of the year. On the first day of the lunar new year, people began to imitate Jiao Er's appearance and cooked food for the New Year, and ate it in the morning of the first day of the lunar new year, calling it "Jiao Er" and "jiaozi".
Wang Laihua, a professor at Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences, said that jiaozi first appeared in China during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and now it can be proved that the Tang Dynasty enjoyed jiaozi through archaeological discoveries. 1972, jiaozi was discovered in Astana Tomb in Turpan, Xinjiang. Jiaozi was called a "flat food" in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, a "cake" in the Qing Dynasty and a "boiled cake" with dumplings on New Year's Eve.
Extended data:
Folklore-
1, Spring Festival
Jiaozi is a folk food with a long history, and eating jiaozi is also a unique folk tradition of China people during the Spring Festival. Because it means "making friends at a younger age", it is very popular among the people. There is a folk saying that "it's delicious but not as good as jiaozi". During the Spring Festival, jiaozi has become an indispensable delicacy. In many areas of China, people eat "jiaozi" on New Year's Eve.
2. New Year's Eve
According to folklore, "New Year's Eve" is a day when people, ghosts and gods are at war. Therefore, everyone must participate in order to achieve auspicious peace in the coming year.
3. Winter Solstice
The northern region has the custom of slaughtering sheep in the winter solstice, eating jiaozi and wonton, while the southern region has the habit of eating rice balls and long noodles in the winter solstice on this day. There is also the custom of offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors on the winter solstice in various regions.
Baidu Encyclopedia-jiaozi