5 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Qu Yuan, Chinese patriot whose death is said to have inspired Dragon Boat Festival customs
This weekend many people celebrate the Duanwu Festival, also known as the Tuen Ng Festival and the Dragon Boat Festival.
The festival, which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month in the traditional Chinese calendar, is observed by Chinese all over the world, as well as by Japanese, Koreans, Ryukyuans (or Okinawans) and Vietnamese.
The festival has long been associated with the poet Qu Yuan (342–278BC). It is because of him, the legend goes, that we row dragon boats and eat
zongzi, sticky rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves , during the festival. The only problem with this story is that the Duanwu Festival, or at least many of its customs, predate Qu.
At some point in time, the Chinese probably appropriated him and events in his life, eventually putting Qu at the centre of the ancient festival. In a similar way, the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ were melded into pre-Christian festivals to give us our Christmas and Easter weekends.
Qu Yuan, a poet and court adviser during the Warring States Period in ancient China, died by drowning himself in a river in 278BC.
Qu was a patriot and brilliant poet in ancient China. Born into one of the noble families of the southern Chu state during the Warring States period, he served King Huai of Chu as a trusted adviser.
He advocated alliances with other states to counter the expansionist ambitions of the powerful Qin state in the west. However, his reformist ideas and personal integrity provoked the envy and opposition of his rivals at the royal court, which led to his eventual exile.
