Legend has it that during Yuan Shikai's rule from 1912 to 1916, he disliked the name yuanxiao (元宵) because it sounded identical to "remove Yuan" (袁消), and so he gave orders to change the name to tangyuan.
Legenda mengatakan bahwa pada masa pemerintahan Yuan Shikai (1912-19160, ia tidak menyukai nama yuanxiao (元宵) karena terdengar seperti (袁消) "menggeser Yuan", jadi ia memberi perintah untuk mengubah namanya menjadi tangyuan.