As Qingming Festival approaches, the qingtuan tasting routes in Shanghai's Xuhui district promise to delight your taste buds.

These delicate qingtuan, with their glutinous rice skin and diverse fillings, capture the essence of spring in every bite. Here are some of the best spots to savor this seasonal delight.

Route 1: Tianyaoqiao Road Food Street

Route 2: Shanghai West Bund → Long Hua Hui → Longhua Temple

Route 1: Tianyaoqiao Road Food Street

Stroll along Tianyaoqiao Road in Xujiahui and you'll feel like you've entered a qingtuan exhibition. Many time-honored brands are here, offering a variety of classic flavors for you to explore.

Shen Da Cheng

As a pioneer in seasonal qingtuan, this renowned brand is known for the cimao qingtuan — stuffed with shepherd's purse, glutinous rice, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms. The soft outer layer envelops the crisp and savory fillings, creating a symphony of spring flavors. Also don't miss their steamed yanduxian qingtuan (salted pork and bamboo shoot filling), famed for its juicy, savory burst.

Location: No 40-90 Tianyaoqiao Road,1F, Huilian Commercial Building

Bai Yu Lan

The upgraded salted egg yolk and pork floss qingtuan offers a wonderful, classic flavor. The sandy salted egg yolk, crunchy pork floss, and sesame nori bits come together in your mouth like blossoms in a spring garden.

Location: No 40-90 Tianyaoqiao Road, 1F, Huilian Commercial Building

Tai Kang Food

Shanghai Tai Kang Food's char siu mushroom qingtuan takes you on a flavorful adventure. The smoky BBQ pork mixed with mushrooms creates a perfect blend of saltiness and freshness, becoming more flavorful with every bite.

Location: No 40-90 Tianyaoqiao Road, 1F, Huilian Commercial Building

Qiao Jia Shan

Qiao Jia Shan, a century-old brand, boasts an array of qingtuan flavors, including sesame, red bean paste, salted egg yolk and pork floss, peanut, and pickled Brassica juncea and pork. These green dumplings embody the freshness, stickiness, fragrance, and sweetness of a Jiangnan spring, awakening your taste buds with every bite.

Location: No 40-90 Tianyaoqiao Road, 1F, Huilian Commercial Building

Lv Yang Cun

Lvyangcun's hand-made qingtuan with shepherd's purse and pork stuffings are quite popular. This handcrafted qingtuan balances herbal mugwort notes with a juicy meat filling — a perfect marriage of fragrance and freshness.

Location: No 133 Tianyaoqiao Road

Route 2: Shanghai West Bund → Long Hua Hui → Longhua Temple

After wandering from the cherry blossom-adorned West Bund to the charming Longhua, treat yourself to a "qingtuan afternoon tea".

ChatMe

Qingtuan meets bubble tea! ChatMe (a Chinese milk tea brand) has created an exclusive spring drink called "A Touch of Spring in Qingtuan" (Qing Tuan Yi Mo Chun). Mini-qingtuan pearls soak in rice tea made from Wuchang rice, paired with tender red beans and offering a refreshing and non-greasy experience. Holding this drink makes your shopping trip lighter and more enjoyable.

Location: No 683 Yunjin Road, B1, AI PLAZA

ZANKEE

ZANKEE launches innovative purple rice cheese qingtuan and purple sweet potato cheese qingtuan. The rich cheese filling bursts in your mouth, while the glutinous skin, with a hint of mugwort, delights dessert lovers.

Location: No 2778 Longhua Road, B1, Long Hua Hui

Longhua Su Zhai

As a vegetarian restaurant inside Longhua Temple, Longhua Su Zhai is known for its vegetarian desserts. Their pure vegetarian qingtuan, delicate and sweet, embodies intangible cultural heritage craftsmanship. Their red bean qingtuan, with simple ingredients and a short three-day shelf life, is a must-try for qingtuan enthusiasts. Be sure to arrive early to catch the temple's white magnolia blossoms.

Location: No 2787 Longhua Road/No 855 Jinglian Road

Online purchasing: Taobao store "龙华素斋"

Source: Xuhui district government