The document discusses the Chinese solar term 'Beginning of Winter,' marking the transition from fall to winter, during which the tradition of eating dumplings originated from a legend about Zhang Zhongjing saving people from a typhoid epidemic. Dumplings were made to symbolize ear protection from frostbite, leading to the saying that one should eat them on this day. Additionally, it mentions the practice of storing harvested vegetables, including sweet potatoes, for the winter.

1. Beginning of winter
Beginning of winter, is one of China's solar terms, it represents the end of the fall, the
beginning of winter. On this day, northerners accustomed to eating dumplings, and on this
habit, there is a legend.
A legend has it that at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD25-220), "Medical Saint"
Zhang Zhongjing saved many people in Henan province from a typhoid epidemic and their
ears' from being frostbitten around Start of Winter.
He cooked mutton, hot peppers and herbs to dispel the cold and increase body heat. He
wrapped these ingredients into a dough skin and made them into an ear shape. Since
then, people have learned to make the food which became known as "dumpling". Today
there is still a saying that goes "Eat dumplings on Start of Winter Day, or your ears will be
frostbitten”. Thus, the beginning of winter to eat dumplings is also to commemorate Zhang
Zhongjing.
Winter is actually a season for storing food. In the north of China, most of the people
store the vegetables harvested in the autumn until winter. Like our factory, at the end of
this autumn, our factory also harvested a lot of mature fruits and vegetables. It is worth
mentioning that we harvest the sweet potato, which is our factory workers in their spare
time out. Now the winter, the sweet potatoes are mature, and its taste good.