The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides a year into 24 solar terms, to guide farmers on cultivation. Today marks the beginning of the first solar term, Lichun, literally, the start of spring. For Chinese people, it is also a good time to “bite the spring". 

Chunbing

Chunbing (spring pancake), also called as thin pancake, is a traditional food made of flour to be served on the day of lichun (the 1st solar term in traditional East Asian lunisolar calendar) to celebrate the beginning of the spring since ancient times. Chunbing is wrapped around fresh vegetables and thus called as chunpan. Beijingers enjoy chunbing on every Lichun, which is known as “bite the spring”. People from Jiangan, the southern part of the Yangtze Delta, also serve chunbing of which the cooking method is different from that in the northern regions.

Spring Rolls

Spring rolls are a large variety of filled, rolled appetizers or dim sum. The name is a literal translation of the Chinese chun juan (春卷 'spring roll'). The kind of wrapper, fillings, and cooking technique used, as well as the name, vary considerably within this large area, depending on the region's culture. The seasonal food consumed during the spring, featuring different shapes, sizes and fillings have been popular in Beijing for centuries. At Huguosi Snack, a Beijing restaurant chain known for traditional food, more than 35,000 spring rolls were sold through its 50 outlets. These rolls are stuffed with mashed beans or vegetables. Supermarkets are overflowing with bean sprouts at this time of year, the most popular stuffing.