"Lion's head" is a large cut of meat in Yangzhou dialect, and is called "big meatballs" or "four happy balls" in northern dialect. It is said that its "distant ancestor" is the North and South Dynasties, "food scripture" recorded on the "jumping pill sizzling". History records that when Emperor Yang took his concubines and concubines, rode a dragon boat and a thousand ships south along the Grand Canal, "all the counties and states that he passed through, all within 500 miles of the food offerings". Yang Guang saw the agaric of Yangzhou, especially on the Yangzhou Wan Songshan, money pier, ivory forest, sunflower Gang four famous scenery is very attached.

After returning to the palace, Yang Guang ordered the imperial kitchen to make four dishes with the above four scenes as the theme. Imperial chefs in Yangzhou under the guidance of a famous chef, finally made a lot of effort squirrel gui fish, money shrimp cake, chicken strips and sunflower buds chopped meat these four dishes. Yang Guang tasted, very happy, and then gave the banquet, a time Huaiyang cuisine overwhelmed the dynasty.

In the Tang Dynasty, with the economic prosperity, officials and dignitaries also pay more attention to food. One time, Wei Jiaozhi, the Duke of Zhengguo, hosted a banquet, and Wei Juyuan, the famous chef of his house, made these four famous dishes from Yangzhou, accompanied by delicacies of the sea and the land and water, which made the guests in the audience gasp in amazement.

When the dish "sunflower chopped meat" was served, the huge meat ball made of sunflower heart exquisite, like a lion's head. The guests took the opportunity to persuade the wine: "郇国公半生戎马，战功彪,应佩狮子帅印." Wei Jiaozhi happily raised his glass and drank it down, saying, "In honor of today's event, 'Sunflower Chopped Meat' might as well be renamed 'Lion's Head'." A call for a hundred promises, since Yangzhou has added the "lion's head" this famous dish.