The Story of the Dragon Boat Festival

When our calendar flips to May 31 next Wednesday, Chinese people will
celebrate Double Fives Day, the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the
Dragon Boat Festival.

A CHINESE PATRIOT

The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated in many places around the world on
different dates, and for many the event is all about the excitement of the
colorful races. But just as you might want to teach your kids about the
great patriots in the history of your country, Double Fives Day is a
teaching moment to learn about a revered and selfless Chinese patriot and
poet, Qu Yuan, a man no less devoted to his country than George Washington
to the new United States. To learn about Qu Yuan is to taste a little of the
flavor of Chinese history.

THE ZHOU DYNASTY

About 3,000 years ago, long before Christ walked the earth, in the year 1046
BC the Zhou dynasty took over the land we now know as China. The Shang
dynasty had been in power nearly 500 years, developing a system of writing,
establishing the religion of ancestor worship by the royal class, and had
been in a constant state of warfare to expand the territory, which was
smaller than the China we know today.

The Zhou ushered in a long period of peace and prosperity in China and would
reign, sort of, for about 800 years. The arts and philosophies flourished.
Along with peace came a change in how the land was managed - central control
was relinquished because the land was too large to be properly managed from
one place. Royal relatives and trusted appointees were sent to manage
various regions of the country, and this worked well for a long time.

THE WARRING STATES PERIOD

As years and generations passed in China under the Zhou dynasty, and
management of dispersed regions was passed from one local ruler to
successors, those local rulers began to resent having to send all their tax
money to the Zhou emperor. They began to think of themselves as kings, they
began to think of the local army as their own, and they began to covet the
land and resources of adjoining provinces.

Inevitably, war broke out in China. But not just a war between a few forces,
war emerged among hundreds of fiefdoms. Eventually 7 strong states emerged
and settled in to fight one another again and again. This is now called the
Warring States period which lasted nearly 400 years.

From the vantage point of history, we can look at the Warring States period
in China as a passing phase. But to the people who were living it, their
state was their country, and their family might experience many generations
of nothing but war as they fought for the advantage and protection of their
own country.

The people's weariness with war was reflected in the arts and philosophy of
the time, and there was a nostalgic yearning for a return to the peace known
in the first half of the Zhou dynasty. Confucius established an ethical
philosophy, a system of knowing one's place and behaving appropriately to
preserve peace and order. Confucianism formed the basis of Chinese thought
and governed detailed study and civil service exams for the next two
thousand years and remains a strong influence today. Laozi founded Daoism, a
doctrine of accepting events as the natural flow and harmony.

But the influence of Confucianism on the behavior of the ruling class and
common people would come much later, long after Confucius died, for there
were still many wars to be fought as each of the seven warring states
struggled to conquer the others.

CHU, 1 OF 7 WARRING STATES

One of these seven warring states was Chu, in the region currently known as
the Hunan and Hubei provinces of China. A man named Qu Yuan (340-278 BC) was
a poet and minister, a trusted advisor to King Huai. Qu Yuan was known as an
honest man who spoke for the common people, remained loyal to his king and
fought the corruption in the king's court, thereby earning the envy and fear
of other officials.

The king of Qin (pronounced "Chin"), the state to the west of Chu, was known
to be powerful and ruthless, with plans to conquer the other 6 states. His
army of 1 million men was believed to be the largest ever assembled
anywhere. [He eventually did conquer the other 6 states, giving the country
the name of "China." He also had the Terra Cotta warriors prepared for his
enormous tomb to accompany him to the afterlife].

QU YUAN

Qu Yuan recognized the ambition of the king of the competing state of Qin,
and he arranged a meeting in Chu with the other states to form an alliance
to defend against Qin because together they would be strong enough to resist
Qin's dominance.

Meanwhile, emissaries from Qin sought an alliance with the king of Chu,
advising him to betray the other states. Qu Yuan strongly advised against
any such move because he suspected Qin would violate any agreement and
overthrow his home state of Chu. Qu Yuan advocated strengthening Chu's
military forces and allying with the other states to fight against the Qin.

When Qu Yuan urged the king of Chu to avoid an alliance with Qin, corrupt
court politics led others to whisper lies about Qu Yuan to the king, less
loyal subjects maneuvering for their own personal advantage. Eventually the
king of Chu believed them, he banished Qu Yuan to exile, and he betrayed the
other states by accepting a secret alliance with the strong state of Qin,
the very alliance Qu Yuan had warned against.

Qu Yuan traveled, taught and wrote for several years. He could have joined
another state and enjoyed privilege and wealth, for he was well respected,
but he elected to remain in poverty among the people he loved. Despondent
over his exile, he wrote some of China's most revered poetry, giving voice
to his affinity to the people instead of the power of royalty. His 25 poems
are preserved, comprising the eleven Odes, nine Elegies, Li Sao, Riddles,
Requiem, The Soothsayer and The Fisherman.

Eventually Qin did, indeed, violate their agreement and conquer Chu, and
went on to conquer all the remaining states to consolidate rule with an iron
fist.

In his despair at the loss of his country of Chu, Qu Yuan finished his last
poem - Huai Sha (Embracing Sand) - then he tied himself to a large rock with
a rope, threw himself into the Milou River to drown.

DRAGON BOATS

When the people who loved Qu Yuan learned what he had done, they took to
their dragon boats to find his body. These boats had dragon heads on the
front to help ward off evil spirits that lived in the river. They pounded
drums They poured realgar wine in the water to make the fish drunk and they
threw glutinous and beat the water with their paddles to scare the fish so
they would not eat his body. rice balls called zongzi to divert the hungry
fish.

That was the year 278 BC. Now every year on the 5th day of the 5th lunar
month, Double-Fives Day, Chinese people celebrate the memory of a great poet
and statesman and patriot named Qu Yuan by re-enacting the search for his
body in the Dragon Boat Festival. They hold races in which drumbeats sound
out the cadence for furious rowing by the boat's team. They drink realgar
wine, eat zongzi and other foods, and generally have a good time.

There are many smaller parts of the celebration, but above it all is the
proud memory of one of China's great heroes and patriots, one whose life
serves as an example of honorable living and service to country, the beloved
poet named Qu Yuan.

By Terry L. Garlock