One popular Chinese food that I’m sure many of us have tried in our homes or seen at a dim sum restaurant is zongzi. Zongzi is sticky rice that can have elements of meat (usually pork), dates, nuts, and more and served wrapped in bamboo leaves. It is commonly eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival, which is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month in the lunar calendar. The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as “Poets’ Day,” is celebrated by the Chinese to commemorate the life and death of the Chinese scholar Qu Yuan, China’s first poet.
Qu Yuan was a trusted minister of King Huai, the ruler of the Chu state, and lent a great hand in governing the state during the Warring States period. However, Qu Yuan advocated for an alliance with the Qi against the Qin state. This recommendation sparked controversy among the other ministers, causing King Huai to turn against Qu Yuan. Qu Yuan was sent into exile to the south of the Yangtze River, where he wrote his sorrowful poems. Overcome by despair, Qu Yuan drowned himself in the Miluo River at the age of sixty-one. The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated today to honor the efforts of those that tried rescuing Qu Yuan in their boats. Some of the people of Chu threw rice into the river as a sacrifice to Qu Yuan, but others did so because they believed it would prevent fish from eating his body. They started to make zongzi, hoping that this heavier form of rice would sink and reach his body. Since then, making zongzi has been a tradition that has persisted in the Chinese culture. It is now a symbol of Qu Yuan’s patriotism, selflessness, and righteousness.
Sources:
我觉得粽子很好吃。屈原的故事大概是教育孩子要爱自己的国家。这篇文章很信息丰富。我学了屈原是中国的第一个诗人。谢谢你分享！
这个是很有趣！我想粽子是很不好吃但是我想粽子好看。
我今天学到了很多的东西。我不太喜欢吃种子（或者我不太喜欢我吃过的种子）。我不知道历史是如此有趣。我觉得屈原被不公正地流放了。他可以写跟多的诗，但是他自杀了。很可怜。