History & Legend
The Chinese Festival commemorates the death of Qu Yuan (340-278 BC), a poet and Minister of State during the Chu Dynasty.  Qu Yuan’s ability and in particular his fight against corruption, antagonised the other court officials.  They exerted their evil influence on the weak-willed emperor who eventually dismissed Qu Yuan and sent him into exile.  During his 20 years in exile, he travelled widely, writing down what he saw into poems.  Some of his well-known works include The Lament (Li Sao) and Nine Chapters (Jiu Zhang).

Qu Yuan never regained the emperor’s favour.  On the 5th day of the 5th month in the year 298 B.C, at the age of 37, Qu Yuan plunged into the Miluo River in the Human Province.  According to legend, respecting the minister as an upright and honest man, the local fisherman raced out in their boats to save him, beating drums to scare off the fish that they thought would eat his body.  They also dropped rice dumplings into the water to nourish his spirit or distract animals from eating him.

How Chinese celebrate the Festival
The scene of the fisherman racing out to save Qu Yuan is re-enacted every year in the form of dragon boat races.  The dragon boats are stored in a special place for eleven months.  Before the festival, the boats must be “brought back to life” in a ceremony known as “Awakening of the Dragon”.  Red paint is used to mark the dragon’s eyes and the boats are sprinkled with life giving water.