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History of Dragonboating
Legend has it that Qu Yuan (c 340-278 BC), a great poet of the Warring
States period, was drowned in the Miluo River in Hunan Province on
the fifth day of the fifth lunar month of the of the Chinese calendar
(also known as the Double Fifth).
 Qu
Yuan served as a minister to the Chu State. A wise and articulate
man, he was loved by the common people. Known for his patriotism,
Qu Yuan tried unsuccessfully to warn his king and countrymen against
the expansionism of their Qin neighbors. When the Qin Dynasty general
Bai Qi took Yingdu, the Chu capital, in 278 BC, Qu Yuan's grief was
so intense that he drowned himself in the Miluo river after penning
the Lament for Ying. According to legend, the local people, knowing
him to be a good man, decided to throw Zongzi (rice dumplings)
into the river to feed the fish so they would not eat Qu Yuan's body.
Another belief is that later on, they scattered rice into the water
to prevent him from suffering hunger.
They also sat on long, narrow paddle boats, and tried to scare the
fish and evil spirits away by splashing the water with their paddles,
the thundering sound of drums aboard the boat, and the fierce looking
carved dragon head on the boat's prow.
Another popular legend holds that after Qu Yuan committed suicide,
because the people loved him so much, they raced out to recover his
body, and the races signify the boats skimming across the water to
find him.
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| Since then, dragon boat races have been held on
that day every year to commemorate Qu Yuan's death. |
| As a traditional activity, dragon boat racing has
retained its popularity in China to this day, especially in regions
to the south of the Yangtze River. |
| Dragon boat races were held on a large scale in
the Tang Dynasty (618- 907). On such an occasion, a dozen boats
went off like so many shots at the starting order, each striving
to outpace the other amid the beating of drums on the vessels
and cheers of onlookers on the banks. |
| Emperors of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) made it
a rule to watch dragon boat races when they reviewed their water-borne
troops. The winners were not only given handsome awards but gained
high fame. |
| In great pain, Qu Yuan wrote "Lisaoor The
Lament", the greatest of all his poems. |
"Long did I sigh and wipe away my tears,
To see my people bowed by grieves and fears...
The people's sufferings move my heart,
Our land I cannot leave."
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