The Origin of Dragon Boat Race

Liang and Wu both recorded in the book "Harmony and Continuation of Qi": "Qu Yuan, the doctor of Chu, died in the Miluo River on the fifth day of May, and the Chu people mourned it and saved it by boat. Crossing the river again is a legacy. " It shows that the dragon boat race is held in memory of Qu Yuan. After the Ming Dynasty, this custom became more popular. Not only the imperial court held a race, but also the folk places held a race, and the scene was extremely spectacular.

China people's worship of dragons originated very early. The dragon-shaped jade unearthed in Hongshan Culture site shows that our primitive ancestors' understanding of dragons is an animal with a horse's head, a snake's body, no horns, no scales and no feet. Legend has it that primitive people can build dams and secluded mountains with stones at mountain passes or troughs to attract dragons, capture them and domesticate them as water media. But this method is very risky, so people use a canoe made of single wood instead of dragons. It was not until the Warring States period that the ship was renamed "Dragon Boat" in the Biography of Dong Jun by Mu and Qu Yuan.