Dumpling
Dumpling which is also known as zong zi in Chinese, contains glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves to form a pyramid shape.
You can find all sorts of different fillings in the rice: pork, roast pork, chestnut, egg, salted egg, mushroom, red bean, or just simply without filling. They could be just white rice dumpling (not pre-fried), or brown (pre-fried with soya sauce).
Nowadays, there are many varieties of dumplings such as:
Nonya Rice Dumpling
Salted Rice Dumpling with egg yolks
Vegetarian Rice Dumpling
Abalone Rice Dumpling
Not only was he a true patriot, he is famed for leaving many immortal poems for us, he was the first great patriotic poet in the history of Chinese literature. During the days of his exile, Qu Yuan wrote many famous poems. He composed 25 poems including Sorrow after Departure, The Nine Songs (11 pieces), Asking Heaven, The Nine Elegies (9 pieces), The Far-off Journey Divination, and The Fisherman.
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Dumpling Festival
(Duan Wu Festival)
端午节
This festival which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, Chinese communities celebrate the Dumpling Festival, also known as the Dragon Boat Festival.
The festival commemorates Qu Yuan (屈原), an honest minister and a patriotic poet from the Chu Kingdom during the Warring States period of the Zhou Dynasty. A descendant of the Chu royal house, Qu served in high offices. At the age of 21, he was appointed as an official in the Chu court and persuaded other states to unite against Qin. Because of his objection against the restoration of ties with Qin, the king of Chu (Chu Huai Wang) dismiss him and banished him to exile in the southern part of the state.
For the next twenty years, he penned this thought into poems (Chu Chi), for which he is now remembered. Qin conquered the Chu capital. He was so aggrieved when he received news that his country had fallen into enemy hands that he threw himself into the river and drowned.
He was believed to have drowned himself in the MiLuo River (in what is now Central China's Hunan Province) on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month in 278 BC, he was 62. Civilians around the area row their boats out to try to save him or to recover his body. They beat on drums and gongs to frighten away fishes and sea creature to prevent them from attacking his body. For the same reason they also threw rice dumplings into the river to feed the sea creatures.
In remembrance of Qu Yuan, it became a custom to organize Dragon boat races and to consume dumplings.
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In 2008, the 5th day of the 5th lunar month falls on 8 June 2008.
Photo by cblaywell on Flickr
The first Dragon Boat races were recorded in the Tsin period. It became popular in the Tang Dynasty spreading throughout the Yangtze River Valley and to most of South China. One padler traditionally stands in the boat searching for Qy Yuan's body while a drummer on board and the ferocious-looking dragon designs were added to frighten away evel water spirits. It is also the supreme symbol of power and benevolence in the Far East. In the present day, the Dragon Boat Festival is held annually in different nations world wide.
His last poem reads:
Many a heavy sigh I have in my despair,
Grieving that I was born in such an unlucky time.
I yoked a team of jade dragons to a phoenix chariot,
And waited for the wind to come,
to sour up on my journey.
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