Miao community crafts rainbow zongzi for Dragon Boat Festival

As Dragon Boat Festival draws near, the Miao community in Taijiang county is busy preparing its signature five-colored zongzi. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Zongzi, a palm-sized food made with glutinous rice and traditionally eaten during Dragon Boat Festival, takes on bright colors in Guizhou province.

As the festival draws near, the Miao community in Taijiang county is busy preparing its signature five-colored zongzi.

As Dragon Boat Festival draws near, the Miao community in Taijiang county is busy preparing its signature five-colored zongzi. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

According to tradition, each hue carries its own meaning. Red celebrates the village's vitality and hopes for the future, while purple symbolizes local prosperity and abundance. Yellow heralds a bountiful harvest, and deep black stands for the fertility of the land.

Finally, the natural white of the rice represents pure love, as Tang Mingqian, a local villager, explained: "We leave this one uncolored to honor the sincerity of our hearts."

As Dragon Boat Festival draws near, the Miao community in Taijiang county is busy preparing its signature five-colored zongzi. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

As Dragon Boat Festival draws near, the Miao community in Taijiang county is busy preparing its signature five-colored zongzi. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]