Expats soak up Duanwu fun in Shandong

"I found it (making zongzi) really hard. I'm not very good at intricate things but I enjoyed it. It was fascinating to learn how it is made," said Nick Ive, a British editor with China Daily.

Ive noted dolmas, a popular dish featuring vine leaves stuffed with rice, meat and fresh herbs in Mediterranean cuisine is similar to zongzi.

He also learned that Duanwu is a festival for commemorating Qu Yuan, a great patriotic poet and politician during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC).