It is said that because mortals are afraid the Jade Emperor will send his subordinates to inspect the lives of people on earth, they eat tofu to show that they are living simple lives in an effort to avoid punishment from the Jade Emperor.

As a result, the custom of making tofu on the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month has been passed down from generation to generation.

Also, “tofu” sounds like the Chinese phrase “dou fu” (good fortune in everything) in Chinese.