[Traveling along the Yangtze River in Hubei] Celebrate Traditional Dragon Boat Festival in Qu Yuan's Hometown

The Dragon Boat Festival is one of the oldest festivals in China, and it also has more than 20 nicknames, such as Duanyang Festival, Quyuan Festival, etc.. In Qu Yuan's hometown of Zigui, Hubei, all the Dragon Boat Festival folk customs are related to Qu Yuan.

Zigui is the hometown of Qu Yuan, and the customs commemorating Qu Yuan during the Dragon Boat Festival has been going on for years, and it is even more grand than the Spring Festival.

Dragon Boat Festival folk custom in China - Dragon Boat Race in Qu Yuan's hometown [Photo via the Publicity Department of the CPC Zigui County Committee]

The biggest highlight of the Zigui Dragon Boat Festival is the dragon boat race on the beach of the Xia River. "Dragon boat races are held everywhere in the country, only the one Zigui is different." There are many dragon boats in Zigui, with various shapes and styles. Every township and town is equipped with their dragon boats, most of which are built by workers. The largest boat can carry 42 people, and the small one also can carry 20 people. There are many participants, including farmers who have finished their summer harvest and young people who have returned to their hometown, all of which are eager to "take their turn". there are many races, two-boat race, drag race, multi-boat race, straight rowing race...By the Xia River, the dragon boat races are spectacular.

Dragon Boat Festival folk custom in China - making rice dumplings [Photo by Xiang Hongmei]

Thousands of people making rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival in Qu Yuan's hometown [Photo via the Publicity Department of the CPC Zigui County Committee]

Chinese people usually regard the Dragon Boat Festival as a day to pray for blessing and eliminate disaster, so there are many ancient Dragon Boat Festival customs with unique characteristics, such as dragon boats race, worshiping dragons, picking herbs, hanging wormwood and calamus, worshiping gods and ancestors, washing in herbs etc..

There is also a special program for Zigui to commemorate Qu Yuan - Sao Tan Poetry Festival. Since the Ming Dynasty (AD 1368-1644), farmers in Lepingli, Zigui organized a poetry club spontaneously, who gathered at Qu Yuan Temple during the Dragon Boat Festival, and recited Qu Yuan's poems of "Ode to Oranges" and "Li Sao". They also wrote some poetry by themselves. These have become the unique culture in Quyuan's hometown. 

Dragon Boat Festival folk custom in China - Making fragrant bags [Photo via the Publicity Department of the CPC Zigui County Committee]

Up to now, in Zigui, the Dragon Boat Festival custom has been formed in Qu Yuan's hometown with distinctive and unique cultural connotations, including the dragon boat culture, celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival for three times, eat rice dumplings, and the Sao Tan Poetry Festival. Qu Yuan culture has become a part of the Zigui people for more than 2,000 years, handed down from generation to generation.