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Duanwu Festival: Rice and Races
 Origin of the festival
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Qu
Yuan | While scholars may furnish many
explanations for the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival, most ordinary people
will give you the same answer: The Duanwu Festival honors the great poet, Qu
Yuan. They'll also tell you the story that has been passed down for more than
2,000 years.
Qu Yuan was born in 340BC during the Warring States Period. At that time,
there were seven states struggling to unify China. Of the seven states, Qin was
the strongest, and Chu, the largest.
Qu was a noble of Chu. During his lifetime, the powerful State of Chu began
to decline.
Early in his life, Qu won the confidence of the king of Chu and served as his
deputy prime minister, helping him draft laws and decide foreign policies. When
Qu saw the danger posed by the ambitious Qin State, he proposed government
reforms and an alliance with the neighboring Qi state to ensure Chu's safety.
But the King of Chu was surrounded by corrupt oficials, who were jealous
of Qu. They accepted bribes from the Qin's envoy, dissuaded the king from taking
Qu's advice and brought about the poet's estrangement from the king. Qu was
finally sent into exile for 20 years.
During those desperate years, Qu watched helplessly as his beloved country
became weaker every day. In 278BC, the capital of Chu was stormed by Qin troops.
Greatly affected, Qu wrote Lisao (The Lament ) -- the greatest
of all of his poems. On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, Qu drowned
himself in the Miluo River due to his feelings of hopelessness about his
country's future.
Although Qu died thousands of years ago he is remembered every year for his
love for and loyalty to his country and his people.
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