Duanwu Stories

Duanwu Stories

Qu Yuan

The story best known in modern(ˈmädərn) China holds that the festival(ˈfestəvəl) commemorates(kəˈmeməˌrāt) the death of the poet(ˈpōit,ˈpōət) and minister(ˈminəstər) Qu Yuan of the ancient(ˈānCHənt) state of Chu during the Warring States period(ˈpi(ə)rēəd) of the Zhou Dynasty(ˈdīnəstē). A cadet(kəˈdet) member of the Chu royal(ˈroiəl) house, Qu served in high offices. However, when the king decided to ally with the increasingly(iNG-,inˈkrēsiNGlē) powerful state of Qin, Qu was banished(ˈbaniSH) for opposing(əˈpōziNG) the alliance(əˈlīəns
) and even accused(əˈkyo͞ozd) of treason(ˈtrēzən). During his exile(ˈegˌzīl,ˈekˌsīl), Qu Yuan wrote a great deal of poetry(ˈpōitrē,ˈpōətrē). Twenty-eight years later, Qin captured Ying, the Chu capital. In despair(diˈspe(ə)r), Qu Yuan committed suicide(ˈso͞oiˌsīd) by drowning(droun) himself in the Miluo River.

It is said that the local people, who admired him, raced out in their boats to save him, or at least retrieve(riˈtrēv) his body. This is said to have been the origin(ˈôrəjən) of dragon(ˈdragən) boat races. When his body could not be found, they dropped balls of sticky(ˈstikē) rice into the river so that the fish would eat them instead of Qu Yuan’s body. This is said to be the origin of zongzi.

Wu Zixu

Despite(diˈspīt) the modern popularity(ˌpäpyəˈlaritē) of the Qu Yuan origin theory(ˈTHi(ə)rē,ˈTHēərē), in the former territory(ˈterəˌtôrē) of the Kingdom of Wu, the festival commemorated Wu Zixu, the Premier(prēˈm(y)i(ə)r,ˈprēmēər,ˈprēˌmi(ə)r) of Wu. Xi Shi, a beautiful woman sent by King Goujian of the state of Yue, was much loved by King Fuchai of Wu. Wu Zixu, seeing the dangerous plot of Goujian, warned Fuchai, who became angry at this remark. Wu Zixu was forced to commit suicide(ˈso͞oiˌsīd) by Fuchai, with his body thrown into the river on the fifth day of the fifth month. After his death, in places such as Suzhou, Wu Zixu is remembered during the Duanwu Festival.

Cao E

Although Wu Zixu is commemorated in southeast(ˌsouTHˈēst) Jiangsu and Qu Yuan elsewhere in China, much of Northeastern Zhejiang including the cities of Shaoxing, Ningbo and Zhoushan celebrates(ˈseləˌbrāt) the memory of the young girl Cao E instead. Cao E’s father Cao Xu was a shaman(ˈSHämən,ˈSHā-) who presided(priˈzīd) over local ceremonies(ˈserəˌmōnē) at Shangyu. In 143, while presiding over a ceremony commemorating Wu Zixu during the Duanwu Festival, Cao Xu accidentally(ˌaksiˈdentl) fell into the Shun River. Cao E, in an act of filial(ˈfilyəl,ˈfilēəl) piety(ˈpī-itē), decided to find her father in the river, searching for 3 days trying to find him. After five days, she and her father were both found dead in the river from drowning. Eight years later, in 151, a temple(ˈtempəl) was built in Shangyu dedicated(ˈdediˌkātid) to the memory of Cao E and her sacrifice(ˈsakrəˌfīs) for filial piety. The Shun River was renamed Cao’e River in her honour(ˈänər).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Boat_Festival