Devoted to Dragon Boat Festival: A Tradition Spanning Millennia

The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival or Double Fifth Festival, is China's first traditional festival inscribed on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month every year, the fragrance of bamboo leaves and the sound of drumbeats from dragon boat races echo across the land, carrying on this cultural tradition that has spanned over 2,000 years.

Cultural Origins: From Qu Yuan's Spirit to National Memory

The origin of the Dragon Boat Festival has various explanations, among which the most widely accepted is to commemorate the patriotic poet Qu Yuan. According to legend, during the Warring States period, the Chu official Qu Yuan drowned himself in the Miluo River by holding a stone. Local people rowed boats to rescue him and threw rice dumplings into the river to feed the fish, thus giving rise to customs such as dragon boat racing and eating zongzi (rice dumplings). Professor Li Cheng from Nanjing University's Department of Folklore pointed out: "The Dragon Boat Festival carries Chinese people's respect for loyalty and integrity, and their attachment to home and country. This spiritual core keeps the festival vibrant through time."

Northern and Southern Customs: Local Traditions Shape Regional Celebrations

Throughout the Yangtze River basin, the Dragon Boat Festival customs vary by region. In the water towns of southern China, dragon boat racing is in full swing; while in the north, people mainly wear colorful strings and hang mugwort. Different regions have their unique styles of zongzi - Cantonese wrapped zongzi, Zhejiang's egg yolk zongzi, Sichuan's spicy zongzi... These diverse flavors tell the story of regional cultural diversity. This year, many traditional brands have launched new products like low-sugar zongzi and ice zongzi, giving traditional cuisine new vitality.

As the fragrance of bamboo leaves fills the air and dragon boats race across the waters, this millennia-old festival continues to connect the past and present with its unique charm, passing on the cultural heritage of the Chinese nation. During this Dragon Boat Festival, take time to savor the aroma of zongzi, feel the warmth of traditional culture, and appreciate the profound foundation of Chinese civilization.