at the end of the zhou dynasty, the area we now know as china had fallen into a state of fragmentation and conflict. while the zhou dynasty had ruled for several centuries, several other states, originally feudal domains, tried to carve out their own kingdoms. the state of qin would eventually emerge the victor and unify all of china under one rule for the first time in history.
qu yuan served as minister to the zhou emperor. a wise and articulate man, he was loved by the common people. he did much to fight against the rampant corruption that plagued the court-- thereby earning the envy and fear of other officials. therefore, when he urged the emperor to avoid conflict with the qin kingdom, the officials pressured the emperor to have him removed from service. in exile, he traveled, taught and wrote for several years. hearing that the zhou had been defeated by the qin, he fell into despair and threw himself into the milou river. his last poem reads:
many a heavy sigh i have in my despair,grieving that i was born in such an unlucky time.i yoked a team of jade dragons to a phoenix chariot,and waited for the wind to come,to sour up on my journey
as he was so loved by the people, fishermen rushed out in long boats, beating drums to scare the fish away, and throwing zong zi into the water to feed braver fish so that they would not eat qu yuans body.
the modern dragon boat festival started from that time to this day, people commemorated qu yuan through dragon boat races, eating zong zi, and several other activities, on the anniversary of his death: the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.
dragon boat races are the most exciting part of the festival, drawing crowds of spectators. dragon boats are generally brightly painted and decorated canoes. ranging anywhere from 40 to 100 feet in length, their heads are shaped like open-mouthed dragons, while the sterns end with a scaly tail. depending on the length, up to 80 rowers can power the boat. a drummer and flag-catcher stand at the front of the boat. before a dragon boat enters competition, it must be brought to life by painting the eyes in a sacred ceremony. races can have any number of boats competing, with the winner being the first team to grab a flag at the end of the course. annual races take place all over china, hong kong, macao, taiwan, and other overseas chinese communities.
农历五月初五为端午节，端午节的第一个意义就是纪念历史上伟大的民族诗人屈原。端午节是我国二千多年的旧习俗，每到这一天，家家户户都悬钟馗像，挂艾叶菖蒲，赛龙舟，吃粽子，饮雄黄酒，游百病，佩香囊，备牲醴。
do you know who is qu yuan? what type of zongzi do you like most? have you ever joined a dragon boat competition? all these are related to the dragon boat festival.
do you know the origin of this festival? read the following essay and you will have a clear picture of the dragon boat festival.
the 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar year is an important day for the chinese people. the day is called duan wu festival, or dragon boat festival, celebrated everywhere in china.
this festival dates back to about 2,000 years ago with a number of legends explaining its origin. the best-known story centers on a great patriotic poet named qu yuan.
the customs vary a lot in different areas of the country, but most of the families would hang the picture of zhong kui (a ghost that can exorcise), calamus and moxa in their houses. people have dragon boat races, eat zong zi (dumpling made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves) and carry a spice bag around with them.
端午节英语作文(dragon boat festival)
the dragon boat festival ,also called the duanwu festival ,is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month according to the chinese calendar.people always eat rice dumplings and watch dragon boat races to celebrate it.
the festival is best known for its dragon-boat races,especially in the southern places where there are many rivers and lakes. it?s very popular.
the rice dumpling is made of glutinous rice,meat and so on. you can eat different kinds of rice dumplings.they are very delicious.
and dragon boat festival is for qu yuan. he is an honest minister who is said to have committed suicide by drowning himself in a river.
overall, the dragon boat festival is very interesting!
