Yuanxiao and Tangyuan are different: they are very similar foods.
Soup is all over the street, so I won't elaborate. Let's talk about Yuanxiao first: this kind of food is not wrapped in good dough, but rolled up by snowballing. So Yuanxiao has less water and a stronger taste. It's not easy to cook well, mostly fried. But jiaozi can't blow it up, or it will be heartbreaking and embarrassing.
In the past, Yuanxiao was eaten in the north and Tangyuan was eaten in the south. Because the making process of Yuanxiao is complicated, and now people in Renye Fang like the taste of glutinous rice balls, Yuanxiao is gradually fading out of the market.
I also bought Yuanxiao this year, which is very authentic, but the stuffing is obviously the stuffing of glutinous rice balls.