Qu lived in the kingdom of Chu in the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). He was exiled after jealous, corrupt ministers convinced the king Qu was conspiring against the monarch.

But Qu never lost his love for his country and people. He risked his life to return to the palace in the hope of persuading the king against befriending the powerful northern state of Qin, which was in fact preparing to annex Chu. But the king dismissed him and accepted the Qin state's false friendship.

Qu drowned himself in despair in the Miluo River in what is now Hunan province, when his homeland was finally conquered by Qin in 278 BC.

People rushed to save Qu when they heard of his suicide attempt.

But they failed to find Qu. To prevent his body from being eaten by fish, people banged on their boats to scare the fish away and threw zongzi - pyramid-shaped stuffed dumplings made of glutinous rice and wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves - into the river to distract the creatures.

These practices evolved into a ritual set on the fifth day of the fifth month of the traditional Chinese calendar, when people hold dragon boat races and eat zongzi.

Festive events

The festival, which falls on Sunday, will be different for two reasons this year - because it comes after the May 12 Sichuan quake, and because it is the first one since the authorities made it a public holiday.

In Beijing, a boat race will be held for the fifth time at Qingling Lake in Fangshan district. But this year, participants will be asked to pray for quake victims.

Most tourists are also expected to visit zoos, amusement parks or neighboring cities during the June 7 to 9 holiday period.

In Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, an international dragon boat race will be held on Sunday to celebrate the festival.