These Chinese dumplings known as jiaozi, consisting of a thinly rolled piece of dough which contains either meat or a vegetable filling, are one of the most popular and most commonly eaten dishes in China and East Asia. They can be served either as an appetizer, a side dish, or as the main course, always with a side of soy sauce-based dipping sauce, but traditionally, jiaozi are always eaten for Chinese New Year.

Depending on how they are cooked, jiaozi dumplings can be classified into three categories: boiled, steamed, and pan-fried, but when it comes to folding techniques, there are many, and the most popular one is known as pinched-edge fold, which results in crescent-shaped jiaozi, the most popular shape in China.

Well-known variations of jiaozi dumplings include the smaller variety gaau ji that has a thin, translucent wrapping, the pan-fried guotie, and the Japanese-style dumpling, gyoza.