Start of Spring offers a fresh, warm taste for the year ahead

For many Chinese families, the first sign of spring is tasted rather than seen. Spring pancakes, spring rolls and the ancient idea of the spring platter all carry the same message: Renewal begins at the table.

As the first of China's 24 solar terms, lichun, or Start of Spring, marks the turning of the seasons and reflects a long-held philosophy of eating in harmony with nature. Food follows time, and seasonal rituals anchor everyday life. The tradition of eating spring pancakes on this day — known as yaochun, or "biting into spring" — is one of the most enduring expressions of that belief.

Folk tradition holds that taking a bite of a spring pancake is a way of ingesting the vitality of the new season, symbolizing hopes for health, prosperity and smooth days ahead.

The custom traces its origins to the ancient spring platter. On the day of Start of Spring, people once arranged fresh vegetables, seasonal fruits and pastries on a shared plate, eating together to pray for a bountiful year.

Over time, those scattered seasonal flavors were gathered into a single thin pancake — something that could be wrapped, held and bitten into.

In the writing of celebrated author Wang Zengqi, the beauty of a spring pancake lies in its restraint. Made by kneading dough with warm water, the pancake is thin but resilient, soft without being limp, and fragrant with the natural aroma of wheat — a technique that allows ingredients to retain their individual character, reflecting the subtleties of Chinese culinary wisdom.

Describing a traditional spread, Wang wrote: "On Start of Spring, we eat spring pancakes. Raw scallions, lightly stir-fried chives, mung bean sprouts, crisp radish, soy-braised pork, chicken and duck, all shredded, with scrambled eggs and a small amount of sweet bean sauce, wrapped in thin pancakes. Each ingredient keeps its own flavor. The fragrance is exquisite." He also noted the ritual's finer points: Shredded radish is essential, as eating radish itself is called "biting into spring". After the meal, a bowl of millet or coarse-grain porridge is often served — a finishing touch known as "filling the gaps".

While spring pancakes are prevalent in northern China, the south marks the same ritual with spring rolls. Though different in form, both foods share the same roots in the spring platter and carry the same symbolic hopes for renewal.

Folklore expert Zhong Fulan explains the key distinction: "In the north, spring pancakes are prepared first and then wrapped around raw or cooked ingredients. Spring rolls, by contrast, use dried wrappers to enclose precooked fillings, which are then fried."

That difference shifts the emphasis to texture and heat. Southern spring rolls are prized for their crisp exterior and fresh, aromatic fillings, which may include vegetables, minced meat or sweet pastes, such as red bean or peanut.

Zhong describes the process simply: Cooked fillings are seasoned, wrapped into small rolls and fried until golden, allowing for endless variations — savory or sweet, vegetarian or meat-based.

Compared with the soft suppleness of spring pancakes, spring rolls are thinner and firmer, turning crisp without easily breaking. Inside, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, chives and shredded pork are commonly used, stir-fried just enough to preserve their freshness before being sealed and fried.

Fresh from the pan, spring rolls are fragrant and satisfying — crisp on the outside, tender within — preserving the lightness of spring vegetables while adding depth from frying. They have become an indispensable seasonal dish on southern tables.

Even as modern life accelerates, the tradition of "biting into spring" remains widely practiced across China. Like an invisible thread, it binds people to their cultural heritage, reminding them to follow nature's rhythms and savor the beauty of folk traditions.

Beyond pancakes and rolls, many also choose to eat radishes and fresh seasonal vegetables on this day — gently awakening bodies weathered by winter, while expressing, in the simplest way, a heartfelt anticipation for the arrival of spring.

liyingxue@chinadaily.com.cn