Dragon Boat Festival Story for Children

1. In order to commemorate the patriotic poet Qu Yuan and prevent Qu Yuan's body from being eaten by fish and shrimp, residents threw a lot of rice (zongzi) wrapped in bamboo leaves into the river and competed to find Qu Yuan's body.

2. In 229 AD, the State of Qin captured eight cities of Chu, and then sent messengers to invite Chu Huaiwang to make peace with the State of Qin. Qu yuan saw through the plot of the king of Qin and risked his life to enter the palace to state his interests. Chu Huaiwang did not listen, but expelled Qu Yuan from the capital. Chu Huaiwang attended the meeting as scheduled and was imprisoned as soon as he arrived in Qin. Chu Huaiwang was filled with remorse and died in the state of Qin three years later. Shortly after the King of Chu ascended the throne, the King of Qin sent troops to attack the State of Chu. The King of Chu retreated hastily and Qin Jun captured Ying City. On the way to exile, Qu Yuan heard the bad news of sudden death and the attack on Tancheng, but he was so desperate that he sighed and jumped into the turbulent Guluo River.

3. The fishermen on the river and the people on the shore heard that Dr. Qu Yuan threw himself into the river and came to the river to salvage Qu Yuan's body, bringing zongzi and eggs into the river one after another. Some doctors also poured realgar wine into the king, so that the medicine could make the dragon and water beast unconscious and protect Qu Yuan from harm.

4. Since then, every year on the martyrdom day when Quyuan threw himself into the river in early May, the people of Chu have to go to the river to row dragon boats and throw zongzi to commemorate this great patriotic poet, and the custom of the Dragon Boat Festival has been handed down.