In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhang Zhongjing used to be the prefect of Changsha, visiting patients to apply medicine and practicing medicine in the lobby. Later, he resolutely resigned and returned to his hometown to treat his neighbors. When he returned home, it was winter. He saw that the villagers on both sides of the Baihe River were sallow and emaciated, hungry and cold, and many people's ears were frozen. He asked his disciples to set up a medical shed and a cauldron in Dongguan, Nanyang, and give up "Quhan Jiaoer Decoction" to cure chilblain on the day of the winter solstice.
He boiled mutton and some herbs for dispelling cold in a pot, then fished out the mutton and medicines and chopped them, made them into ear-like "Jiao Er" with bread. After cooking, he distributed two "Jiao Er" and a big bowl of broth to everyone who came to ask for medicine. People ate "Jiao Er" and drank "Quhan Tang", and they were warm all over, with fever in both ears and frostbitten ears cured. Later generations learned the look of "Jiao Er" and packaged it into food, also called "jiaozi" or "flat food".
The winter solstice ranks first among the 24 solar terms, and it is called "sub-year". In the Yin and Zhou Dynasties, the day before the winter solstice was the end of the year. In ancient times, the winter solstice was a very important festival, and it was said that the winter solstice was as big as a year. The court and the people always attached great importance to it, and there were sacrificial activities since the Zhou Dynasty.
After the winter solstice, the weather is mainly cold, so people tend to be warm and nourish yang to resist cold evil. Jiaozi is a kind of delicious food with comprehensive nutrition and easy digestion and absorption. It can be stuffed with mutton, Chinese cabbage, green onions, leeks and radishes. These dishes are warm and have a certain warming effect on human body.