It is said thatwhen Emperor Qianlong of Qing Dynasty came to Honghu in his southward journey,the local official required the chefs to show their skills by letting theEmperor have a taste of lotus root without recognizing it. All chefs began tothink hard, and one chef thought about what had happened in the famine: somepeople smashed the lotus roots to make small balls. So the chef carefullyprepared the lotus root balls meal with rich seasonings. Emperor Qianlong wasvery happy about the deliciouslotus balls and ordered it be a court meal eversince.