Origin

Qu Yuan, the Patriotic Poet

If one asks about the origin about Dragon Boat Festival, Chinese guys would tell you the soul of Qu Yuan lived during the time of warring ststes in which the countries of Chu and Qin fought in the third century B.C. He loyally served the king of the Chy and tried to advise the king on how to keep peace with neighboring states, but his suggestion was refused as the king preferred the more flattering words of corrupt men and he was banished from the kingdom. When he later learned that the captial city was destroyed in war, he despaired and wrote one of China's most famous elegies, the Lisao ( Lament on Encountering Sorrow). Then he threw himself into the Milo River ( in Hunan Province ) and drowned.

The people got into their boats and raced to find him, but to no avail. When they realized he had drowned, they threw rice into the water as a sacrifice or, according to some versions of the legend, to prevent the fish from eating his body. To this day, dragon boat races are held to commermorate the tragic event by reenacting the search for Qu Yuan.

Qu Yuan and his Lament

Qu Yuan, who was born on a Tiger day, was a minister of the Chou Kingdown. He suggested the king not to go to war against Qin, but the king listened to the warmongers and fought a losing war. Because he had expressed an unpopular opinion, Qu Yuan was banished. He left the Center; he roamed in the outer world for the rest of his life, 20 years... His love for his country was not returned... He sang poems wherever he went, haggard and poor, always homesick, roving from place to place on foot like an old begger....
He wrote a poem made of one hundred and seventy questions with no answers. "Soothsayers who use tortoise adn yarrow," he asked, "what is the order of creation?""Who built the sky?" "Where does it end?" "Why do I try to bank up the waters in the dark sea when I am not a great whale?"
From his dragon boat, he looked down at his home adn realized that escape and return were equally impossibe.
At last he walked along the Tsanglang River while reciting poems. He met a fisherman and told his story again. He had seen teh entire corrupt world, and "the crowd is dirty."
"Why should you be aloof?" asked the fisherman."When the water is clear, I wash my tassels, but when it too muddy for silk, I can still wash my feet."
Upon hearing these words, Qu Yuan decided that he would use the river too. He sang all his poems and his elegy, his requiem. He danced at the edge of the river to make his last moments happier. He threw himself into the water and drowned. " There is no wisdom in the world," says the commentary to the Li Sao. " Its people are too corrupt to deserve a man like this."