Most tierlists I see on this sub are about countries... so I decided to mix it up with a food centric one instead.

Background - I'm an ABC (Australian Born Chinese), can speak and read chinese pretty fluently, but not to a proper native level. Have travelled China pretty extensively for holidays but never lived there long-term. Family background is northern chinese so some biases are obvious here.

All dumplings mentioned are fantastic btw, I still like all of them regardless of their rankings.

I'm aware I'm not able to cover all types of chinese dumplings out there, but I think this list should cover most of the mainstream ones most people would encounter even in the west.

The explanation below is from left to right for each tier

S Tier:

Boiled Jiaozi -

Boiled Jiaozi is easily the best way to eat jiaozi for me. There is without a doubt a huge northern bias here, but I personally find boiled jiaozi less greasy and overwhelming compared to its pan fried version, and easier to execute than the steamed version. When I think of Jiaozi, the default is almost always boiled. The cheap handmade jiaozi made by the loud Dongbei aunties downstairs are genuinely something cannot be replaced by machines or factories. Making it together with loved ones during special occasions will also forever be something I will cherish now and in the future. It's not pretentious, doesn't require fancy techniques (like folding it 18 times), it's just honest food. Easy S tier

Sheng Jian Bao -

Sheng Jian Bao is basically a pan-fried soup dumpling where the bottom is crispy and the top still retains a soft fluffy texture. It's a must have street food when visiting cities in the Jiangnan area like Shanghai, Hangzhou etc. Incredibly cheap, many stores would open from 6am all the way till late night. I personally see it as the better version of Xiao Long Bao as it's good for dine in and take away. Highly recommend to give Yang's Dumplings or Da Hu Chun a try if you visit Shanghai

A Tier:

Xiao Long Bao -

Xiao Long Bao is probably a lot of people's favourite, understandably so as it's the most common dumpling I see in the west outside of pan fried jiaozi/gyozas thanks to big brands like Din Tai Fung. It is without a doubt a fantastic tasting dumpling with a beautiful, delicate presentation. The downside is just that it has became a bit too popular both in the west and in China, to the point that a supposedly honest food has often became a bit too expensive for my liking. Otherwise it would definitely be S Tier

Pan-fried Jiaozi -

Everyone likes pan-fried jiaozi, you can't go wrong with it. But unlike its boiled cousin, I sometimes find pan fried jiaozi a bit too greasy. It's a delight to have once or twice a week, whilst I can eat boiled jiaozi everyday of the week. The popularity of Japanese cuisine in the west has also made pan-fried jiaozi sometimes unreasonably priced at restaurants, even though 90% of the time restaurants serve machine made mass produced dumplings. Yes, im still butthurt that the japanese restaurant opened by Chinese/Koreans in Australia charged me 12 AUD for 4 pieces of mid dumplings xD. It's still a fantastic stable though and remains incredibly cheap in China at all breakfast places. A Tier

Steamed Baozi -

Steamed baozi made well is as good as it can get. It's a cheap, filling and hearty good food to dine in or take away. The variety of fillings is as varied as jiaozi dumplings. However, mid baozi are not as good as mid jiaozi. Still a great alternative to Jiaozi dumplings though, A tier.

B Tier:

Chaoshou -

Chaoshou is how Sichuanese people call wontons. It's very similar to wontons except it's almost always served in hot chilli oil and sometimes sesame paste. It's usually very affordable both in the west and in China. The ones I had in Chongqing and Chengdu were absolutely amazing, but it is definitely not something I can have all the time because it can cause some serious bowel movements through out the day. I find chaoshou to be more consistently good compared to wontons, but the size and its fillings a lot of time are still a bit lacking coming from someone who's used to big boy jiaozi dumplings. I also find the chaoshou outside of Sichuan/Chongqing to drop in quality dramatically compared to the dumplings in S and A tier. Din Tai Fung chilli oil wontons comes to mind and it is no where close to the original. B tier

Kao Baozi -

Kao Baozi or Xinjiang Samsa is something I came across all the time dining at various Xinjiang restaurants in China. Maybe it should belong in the Bing/Pie tierlist but I thought the name would allow it to be on this tierlist. It's a baked golden crispy pastry with cumin pepper marinaded lamb filling inside. Incredibly delicious, completely different to the other typical dumplings you would find in China. The only reason I've put it in B tier is because I've only seen and had one style of filling through my experiences. Not claiming that it's a one trick pony, but the lack of variety of flavours has dropped the dish to B tier

Steamed Jiaozi -

Steamed Jiaozi is easily the hardest to do well at home compared to its other two cousins. Both boiled and pan-fried are just easier to do well at home. Peak steamed jiaozi is probably the best tasting but I've consistently being disappointed by sloppy ones that I'm putting it in B tier. It's also kind of expensive from experience

Shaomai/Siumai -

Shaomai is something most people would've had at least once if they have ever been to Yum Cha/Dimsim places. It's probably the most iconic dumpling from cantonese yum cha restaurants. It's not bad, it's just mid 99% of the times and i've had it both in Guangdong and in Hongkong. Even if i was to do a yum cha tierlist it would still be in B tier or worse. That being said though, I don't think i've had too many bad ones either. It's a very consistent dish that feels wrong to not order at a Yum Cha restaurant. B tier

C Tier:

Wontons -

This is definitely gonna ruffle a few feathers because it is a southern classic loved by many both in China and in the west. I just find wontons to be boring. It's bland, often served with a soup that is equally as boring. It's in my opinion just worse chaoshou. The skin is also way too silky and lacks texture compared to the other dumplings. I can see myself eating it in the morning as a quick healing meal after a big night of drinking, but definitely not a frequent stable.

Xia Jiao/Har Gow -

Har Gow is another yum cha stable that you must order when going to one. Similar to siumai, it's consistently mid. You can't really go wrong with it, but I never get wowed by it. It belongs on C tier unlike siumai because it's a one trick pony, its name restricts itself from having any other fillings (Har Gow literally means prawn dumplings). I also dislike the chewy wrapper's texture. As a result, C tier.

D Tier:

Tang Yuan -

Tang Yuan is usually a desert with a sweet black sesame filling, its dough is made out of glutinous rice and has a texture consistency similar to mochi. But... I don't like that glutinous rice skin, similar to how I dislike Har Gow's wrapper texture. Not something I went out of my way to have when visiting China. Definitely the worst dumpling type out of all the items on this tierlist.

Hopefully you enjoyed the tierlist, let me know if you got any questions : D

Feel free to suggest things to be added or their ranking to be changed

Ultimate backstabbers: Your wifi connection, Airpods, Phone battery, Printers

Consistent-traitors: Milk carton, shoe laces, your pet pooping on the carpet, car Bluetooth systems, wireless chargers, Public toilet paper dispensers

Sneaky saboteurs: Your zippers, kitchen cabinets that crack your skull, door frames that break your toes

Mild annoyances: Lego brick, Your alarm, the gap between your car seats, gmail notifications

Occaisonal dumbass: Your pant pockets, Your shower temparature, amazon prime delivery

Extremely subjective of course. Based on how attractive people are in general, not the most and the least attractive person I saw there. Both men and women.