Spring in Yongjing carries the scent of mugwort. Around Qingming, the caoziguo stalls at the old street market start preparations early — deep green rice skins are kneaded and lined up on wooden boards like a row of small jade stones. Yongjing is one of Changhua County's important Hakka communities. Caoziguo here is not a tourist product; it is an offering that has sat before ancestral tablets for hundreds of years. Every piece sold at the market carries a trace of the solemnity of Qingming.
What is caoziguo
Caoziguo is made by kneading glutinous rice flour with the juice of freshly picked cudweed (shu que cao) or mugwort to form a deep green skin, then wrapping it around a filling of stir-fried dried radish (cai pu) or shredded radish. It is hand-shaped into an oval, placed on a sheet of shell ginger leaf, and steamed. The skin has a pronounced herbal fragrance and a soft yet chewy texture. The filling is savory with a balance of salty and subtly sweet that varies by each maker's recipe. It is not available year-round — the period from around Qingming through to late spring (lunar months two through four) is when it is most readily found at markets.
Yongjing and Puxin are the core areas of Hakka migrant communities in Changhua County, where Hakka food traditions are relatively well preserved. In Hakka culture, caoziguo is a ceremonial food for ancestor worship — making caoziguo together as a family before Qingming grave-sweeping is an important custom. The Changhua County Government Hakka Affairs Bureau has related cultural promotion materials and has included Yongjing caoziguo in Hakka food culture educational materials. It regularly holds heritage workshops to help younger generations learn the craft.
How to eat it like a local
Local knowledge
Verified references
- The Changhua County Government Hakka Affairs Bureau has included Yongjing caoziguo in Hakka food culture educational materials and regularly holds workshops on passing down the craft.
- Yongjing and Puxin townships are the core Hakka community areas of Changhua County. Caoziguo preserves the complete mixed Hokkien-Hakka food tradition and holds value for food culture research.
- The cudweed or mugwort used in caoziguo grows naturally in Changhua County's fields. Around Qingming, farming families throughout the area harvest it for making caoziguo — a genuinely seasonal food.
Visiting tips
- Visiting Yongjing outside of Qingming season means caoziguo stalls will be greatly reduced or even completely absent. A visit within one month of Qingming is strongly recommended.
- Yongjing Township is about ten minutes by car from Yuanlin City. Public buses are available but infrequent; driving is more convenient.
- Some vendors also offer a pre-order service. During peak ancestral worship season, calling ahead with the quantity you need ensures smooth pick-up on the day.
Sources: Changhua County Government Hakka Affairs Bureau cultural promotion materials, Yongjing Township Office local food culture field research. Photos pending Dio's on-site photography.