Visitors commemorating ancient Chinese poet
Qu Yuan who died more than 2000 years ago increased remarkably
on Saturday, China's traditional Dragon Boat Festival.
Visitors to the Qu Yuan Memorial in Miluo City, Hunan Province
were almost twice as many as usual, including visitors from the
Republic of Korea, Singapore and Malaysia, said Xu Weiming, head of
the memorial.
With the opening of the Miluo River International Dragon Boat
Rally Saturday, a number of participants and tourists were
attracted to the memorial to commemorate the great patriotic
poet.
"I will definitely bring my team to the Qu Yuan memorial after
the rally," said Wu Peiqi, leader of the Singapore dragon boat
team, "to feel the soul of the Chinese nation."
Qu Yuan lived in the state of Chu during the Warring States
period (475 BC to 221 BC). He drowned himself in the Miluo River in
Hunan Province, central China, on the fifth of the fifth month of
the year of 278 BC of the Chinese lunar calendar, hoping that his
death could stimulate the king to revitalize their kingdom.
The date has since been remembered as the Dragon Boat Festival,
when local fishermen row dragon boats along the Miluo River to
search for Qu Yuan and scatter glutinous rice dumplings, known as
Zongzi in Chinese, into the water to prevent fish and shrimps from
attacking his body.
(Xinhua News Agency June 12, 2005)