June 19th is the Dragon Boat Festival, a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on Lunar May the 5th. It is one of the four most important traditional Chinese celebrations.
This festival commemorates Qu Yuan, an esteemed poet and minister of the State of Chu during the Warring States period, over 2000 years ago. Deeply devoted to his country, Qu Yuan was banished by the king due to corrupt officials. When the capital fell to the rival State of Qin, he was so devastated that he drowned himself in the Miluo River. To prevent fish and evil spirits from eating his body, locals threw rice wrapped in bamboo leaves into the river and beat drums on their boats to scare them away, which led to the traditions of eating Zongzi and racing dragon boats.
Now looking back, without the rival of Qin, there won’t be a united China. History would be rewritten. Qu Yuan was still honored for his patriotic devotion to his country, Chu. However right or wrong, it is marked in history. Now it becomes a mandatory treat day of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves, Zongzi, and water lovers racing the boats creates some noise in the summer. This statue was bought from Hubei Provincial Museum, north of the hometown of Qu Yuan. This is my version of Zongzi, without bamboo leaves.
