The custom of winter solstice dumplings was passed down from the late Eastern Han Dynasty to commemorate Zhang Zhongjing giving up medicine during the winter solstice.

Zhang Zhongjing's medicine is called "Quhan Jiao Er Tang". It is made into ear-shaped "Jiao Er Tang" with dough, cooked in a pot and distributed to patients begging for medicine. After people take the Quhan Decoction, their whole body feels warm, their blood becomes smooth, and their ears become warm. After taking it for a period of time, the patient's rotten ears will be cured. Zhang Zhongjing continued to give up medicine until New Year's Eve. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, people celebrate the New Year and the recovery of rotten ears. They make New Year's food like Jiao Er and eat it on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Zhang Zhongjing was born nearly 1800 years ago, but the story of his making "Jiao Er Tang to dispel cold" has been widely circulated among the people. Every winter solstice and New Year's Day, people eat dumplings and still remember Zhang Zhongjing's kindness in their hearts.