It is said that at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhang Zhongjing, the "medical sage", once served as the prefect of Changsha, and later resigned his post and returned home. Just in time for the winter solstice, he saw the people in Nanyang were hungry and cold, and their ears were frostbitten. At that time, typhoid fever was prevalent, and many people died. So Zhang Zhongjing summarized the clinical practice of the Han Dynasty for more than 300 years. He set up a medical shed in the local area, set up a large pot to boil mutton, chilli, and herbs for removing cold and heat. He wrapped the noodles in the shape of ears, and cooked them and gave them to the poor with soup and food. From the winter solstice to the New Year's Eve, the common people resisted typhoid fever and cured cold ears. Since then, villagers and later generations have imitated and made them, calling them "Jiao'er" or "Jiaozi", and in some places, "Bianshi" or "Tangmian Dumpling".
Therefore, the custom of eating dumplings on the winter solstice has been passed down. One is to commemorate the great doctor, and another is the old saying, "What to eat is what to fill". The beginning of winter means the arrival of winter. When the weather gets cold in winter, it is easy to get frostbite when your ears are exposed outside. Therefore, eat some dumplings that look like ears to fill your ears.