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The
Story Behind the Dragon Boat Festival
May 31, 2006
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Towards the end of
the 4th Century B.C., the reigning Zhou Dynasty of China
had declined so much that the Zhou monarch had become
a mere figurehead, commanding only nominal allegiance
from his 170 feudal states. By 481 B.C., the number
of states had been reduced to seven "kingdoms"
as stronger states annexed weaker ones. The following
period, known in history as the Era of Warring States,
lasted till 221 B.C., when the war for supremacy ended
with the Kingdom of Qin defeating the other six, unifying
China under the first emperor Qin Shihuangdi. |
Qu Yuan was a celebrated
literary figure born in the later years of the Era of Warring
States in the Chu Kingdom, located in central southern China
in the valleys of the middle Yangtze and Han rivers. By
this time, the Qin Kingdom had emerged as the strongest
among the seven (Qi, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao, Wei, Qin), closely
followed by Chu.
Qu Yuan came from noble roots, and was very
well educated. By age 20, he was already famous for his
depth of knowledge, his skills in writing, as well as for
his brilliance and intrepidity in court debates. King Huai
made him a minister in his court and trusted him implicitly.
Qu, on his side, repaid the king with his loyalty and patriotism,
putting the welfare of the people and the kingdom before
everything else. The people revered and loved him, and for
a time, he also enjoyed a close relationship with King Huai.
However, such an ideal status did not last
long. Jealous of Qu's special position, his fellow colleagues
began to join and plot against him. They maligned him and
never missed the chance to twist his words or good intentions
in front of the king. King Huai was not the most discerning
of persons, and as he grew in years, he became lax in his
rule and he did not want to go to war. Time and again, he
fell into the trap of "diplomatic negotiations"
proposed by Qin. Qu warned his monarch against such negotiations
and he was backed by some of the sages of that time. But
all these warnings were in vain, and Qu was demoted to a
very minor rank with no power at all.
Things did not improve when King Huai died
and was succeeded by his son who was just as dense as his
father was. For all his troubles and continued (though unappreciated
and unrequested) counselling, Qu was dismissed and banished
to an undeveloped area in the southern ends of the kingdom.
Yet, it was during these periods of demotion and exile that
he wrote his best poetry which reflected his patriotism,
his integrity, and his virtues.
Totally disenchanted with the state of affairs
and despairing for the future of his country, Qu committed
suicide by jumping into the Milou River on the fifth day
of the fifth moon in 278 B.C. He was 62. Fishermen paddled
furiously to try to save him, but the large stone he carried
with him weighed him down, and his body was never found.
To mourn their beloved minister, the people wrapped glutinous
rice puddings in leaves and threw them into the river as
an offering to Qu.
From then onwards, on the anniversary of
Qu's death, the heroic efforts of the fishermen were recreated,
gradually developing into the colourful Dragon Boat Festival
of today. The glutinous rice dumplings are still being made
and eaten nowadays, though they have undergone many alterations.
Each province has its own variety, with different stuffings
and seasonings added to please the local palate. But despite
all these changes, the spirit behind has never differed-that
of remembrance of a great and virtuous poet, patriot, and
reformer.
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