CRI听力:Dragon Boat Festival celebrated nationwide

People across China have held various traditional activities to celebrate the Duanwu Festival, or the Dragon Boat Festival, through Monday.

The Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on the fifth day of the fifth Lunar month, has a history of over 2000 years.

It's since become a public holiday in China, meant to pay tribute to acclaimed Chinese scholar Qu Yuan (around 340-278 BC), whose death - a ritual suicide in river - is the basis for the festival.

Distraught over the collapse of his Kingdom during the Warring States Period of ancient China, Qu Yuan decided to take his own life.

Ancient lore says admirers attempted to save the poet, rushing to save him from his watery demise via Dragon boats anchored on the shore.

Today, the festival is now listed as World Intangible Culture Heritage by UNESCO.

In honor of Qu Yuan, dragon boat races are held every year on rivers and lakes.

One of the races this year has been held in the Qinhu Lake National Wetland Park in east China's Jiangsu Province.

"This is the first time that I've taken part in a dragon boat race. I don't care much about the results. I just want to experience the festive atmosphere of paddling a dragon boat. This is the most important part of it for me," says a tourist who participates in the race.

Another traditional custom is to make and eat Zongzi, a glutinous rice pudding with various fillings wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves.

At the Beijing Folklore Museum, cultural events have included visitors being taught how to wrap their own Zongzi.

"I love making Zongzi. It's a lot of fun. This is my first time making Zongzi. I've really enjoying the experience," says a girl who takes part in the event.

In the city of Yongcheng in central China's Henan Province, holiday makers have dressed in traditional Han Chinese outfits to pay tribute to Qu Yuan.

"Qu Yuan's passion for home and country, as well as his patriotism, is something those of us in the younger generation should try to carry forward. So, in honor of him, we were taking part in special rituals. We're praying not only for a prosperous country, but for the well-being of our people as well," says a local who takes part in the ritual.

Zhang Bo, deputy Secretary-General of China Folklore Society, says traditional festivals are undergoing a renaissance.

"The customs of a festival tend to vary through different historical stages, meaning that people's ways of celebrating often change through time. Festivals today should not only be about eating and having fun. They should also remind us of our cultural values. When we celebrate a festival, we should try to think more about its origin, and what it means for our culture. The way we celebrate festivals reflects the way we perceive the world around us," says Zhang.

Chinese people can enjoy a three-day public holiday for Dragon Boat Festival starting from 2008.