Dragon Boat Festival - Hong Kong & Suzhou

One of the most important Chinese holidays, the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated in many parts of the world. Hong Kong hosts an annual race, which attracts crowds of thousands. Ornately decorated boats are rowed to the beat of large drums, and with 80 to 100 rowers per boat, the Dragon Boat races are a real spectacle.

There are a few different versions of the story behind the Dragon Boat Festival (or Duanwu Festival) but the most popular one holds that the festival commemorates the death of the famous Chinese poet and philosopher Qu Yuan. After a long period occupying prestigious positions in government, Qu Yuan was banished for opposing a new political alliance. When the alliance went sour 28 years later, Qu Yuan threw himself into the Miluo River in a fit of despair and killed himself. (A simple ‘I told you so’ would probably have sufficed?) The locals, who admired Qu Yuan, threw lumps of rice into the river to stop the fish from eating his body, giving rise to the current tradition of throwing rice into the river where the races take place. Make sure you catch this one if you’re in the region; it’s a vivid celebration of Chinese culture.