As a classic traditional dish in China, Four Joy Meetballs's four meatballs, full of color and flavor, represent four happy events, namely, happiness, wealth, longevity and happiness in life, and they are one of the finale dishes in the banquet. When Four Joy Meetballs is served at the end of the New Year's Eve, it means that the next year will be a happy event with good weather.

The annual New Year's Eve dinner is a big meal that the whole family should mobilize. Every household will put on dishes that are rarely seen on weekdays, or that are auspicious: there are usually dishes such as chicken (meaning there is a plan), fish (meaning there is more than one year), glutinous rice balls (meaning reunion) and lotus roots (meaning cleverness) for good luck in the New Year. This is also good for the coming year.

stew in one pot-full of pots and pans This is actually not a dish, but a practice, mainly to put a lot of delicious food together. This "hodgepodge" practice means a bumper harvest and abundance, and the next year will be full of pots and pans, and there will be a dish at the New Year's Eve.