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The fifth day of the fifth moon in 278 B.C. witnessed a thin, old man with tousled hair chanting in a low voice by the side of the Miluo River of the Chu State in the South. Being very haggard-and-painful-looking, he suddenly heaved a deep sigh toward the sky and plunged himself into the stormy river. He was none other than the first great Chinese poet – Qu Yuan. 中华民俗节庆网
A native of the Chu State, Qu Yuan was born into an aristocratic family in about 339 B.C. Well-educated in his childhood, he was very intelligent, eloquent and knowledgeable with a strong sense of patriotism. During the reign of King Huai of Chu he held the post of Zuotu (in charge of promulgating government decrees and receiving foreign guests). Trusted by King Huai, he took part in affairs of stte. His outstanding talent, however, was envied and slandered to King Huia by his fellow minister Jin Shang, the Lord of Shang Guan, so he was estranged from the king and exiled to Hanbei (near Xiang Yang in present-day Hubei Province). After King Huai died King Qingxiang succeeded to the throne. Framed by one of King Huai’s younger sons, Zi Lan and the ilk, he was re-exiled to Jiangnan (between present-day southern Hubei Province and present-day northern Hunan Province) and finally drowned himself in the river. To commemorate his death, the people of Chu would throw Zongzi into the river every fifth moon and organize the dragon boat festival. Hence the custom of eating Zongzi during the festival and the dragon boat festival.
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Qu Yuan’s works consist of Encountering Sorrow, Heaven Questioned, the Nine Songs, the Nine Compositions and the others. His representative work is Encountering Sorrow, an autobiographical lyrical poem totaling over 370 lines. In this poem he strongly complained about his unjust treatment, and uttered his deep sorrow over the denial of his chance to serve the country despite his intense love for it, thus bringing into a sharp focus his noble and steadfast character. 中华民俗节庆网
A very passionate, innovative poet, Qu Yuan developed a new form of poetry called the Songs of Chu from his inheritance of the features of folk songs from the Chu State. His poetry was marked by unrestrained overflow of feelings, flights of imagination, fantastic realm as well as a strong vein of romanticism. As a result of the enormous influence of his poetry over literature of later generation Qu Yuan’s Songs of Chu, together with the Classic of Poetry, has become the two fonts for Chinese literature. 中华民俗节庆网
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