Dragon Boat Festival: Qu Yuan, Races and Zongzi

The Dragon Boat Festival (端午节, Duanwu Jie) — celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month — commemorates the poet Qu Yuan and is one of China's most exciting festivals. The festival features dragon boat races, the eating of zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), and the hanging of protective herbs.

Qu Yuan and the Festival's Origins

The festival commemorates Qu Yuan (屈原, 340–278 BCE), a poet and minister of the Chu state. When Chu was defeated by Qin, Qu Yuan drowned himself in the Miluo River in despair. Locals raced out in boats to retrieve his body and threw rice into the river to feed the fish — these traditions became the dragon boat races and zongzi.

Dragon Boats and Zongzi

Dragon boat races (龙舟赛) are the festival's most dramatic feature. Teams of paddlers race in long, dragon-headed boats to the beat of drums. Zongzi (粽子) — sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves — are the festival's signature food, with both sweet and savory varieties.