The Grandaddy of all Dragon Boat Festivals kicks off today throughout China. Commemorating the life and death of poet Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in protest of government corruption, thousands of teams construct dragon boats and race in regional celebratory competitions. The day winds down with some delicious zhong zi, the ceremonial stuffed rice dumpling.
China isn’t the only place where Yuan’s spirit endures. With Chinese expats the world over turning foreign-soil Dragon Boat Festivals into annual events, from Vancouver to Washington D.C., and dragon-themed boat races all the summer rage across rural America, the Dragon Boat tradition has sustained and, in some instances morphed, into red-blooded American competitions.
I’m betting they don’t eat zhong zi in Tennessee. Somewhere, Qu Yuan is smiling.
Posted on Jun 19, 2007 07:14 PM by chrisbernier
