Dragon Boat Festival History in China

It began in Southern China as a fertility rite performed to ensure bountiful crops. The day is also known as Poet’s Day, in honor of Qu Yuan. On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in the year 278 BC, Qu Yuan threw himself into the Mi-Lo River because the king of Chu did not recognize his correct stand nor appreciate his suggestions for governing the country. Additionally, treacherous officials slandered him. The people of Chu pitied him and rushed in their boats to try to save him. Later, similar stories emerged and to this day, the story of Qu Yuan remains the strongest link to the festival's origins. Dragon-boat racing gradually developed into a professional competition with governmental influence from local folk to finally forming a dragon-boat sport culture.