Suichang long rice dumplings have a unique shape and symbolize longevity and prosperity. [Photo/Tide News]

As the Dragon Boat Festival approaches, Suichang county in Lishui city, East China's Zhejiang province, is gearing up to produce and sell its famous changzong, or "long rice dumplings".

These special dumplings are a local delicacy that symbolizes longevity and prosperity. The dumplings are made of glutinous rice and stuffed with pork, pickled vegetables and other ingredients before they are wrapped with bamboo leaves.

To promote this festive delicacy, the Suichang county agriculture and rural affairs bureau had at the beginning of May partnered with WeChat and Douyin, two popular social media platforms, to launch advertisements in major cities in China, especially those in the north.

Cao Jianzhang, an official of the bureau, said that the online campaign boosted the sales volume by nearly 300 percent compared with the same period last year. The annual online sales volume this year is expected to surpass 5 million.

In addition, Suichang has since 2020 invested more than 20 million yuan ($2.79 million) into building four standardized processing plants for long rice dumplings. Apart from the wrapping process, all other processes such as the washing of the rice and mixing of the fillings are automated.

As a result of this move, the output value of Suichang's long rice dumpling industry exceeded 200 million yuan in 2022.

The local delicacy has also boosted tourism revenue in some villages in Suichang. For example, Cheqian village made 2.25 million yuan from selling these dumplings and more than 1 million yuan from tourism last year.