The 5th day of the 5th lunar month is the Dragon Boat Festival, also called Dragon Boat Festival. Although the festival has different names, people in different places share the same custom. The Dragon Boat Festival is a custom with a history of over 2,000 years. All the families hang out the portraits of Zhong Kui and angry wormwood, race dragon boats, eat zongzi, drink alcohol which can disperse all illnesses, wear incense bladders and prepare livestock tribute.

The first meaning of the Dragon Boat Festival is to commemorate the great national poet Qu Yuan in history. Qu Yuan, also called Qu Ping, lived in the Chu state during the Warring States Period. The second meaning of the Dragon Boat Festival is to commemorate the death day of Wu Zixu, also called Wu Yuan, lived in the Chu state. His father and brother were killed by the king. He had to flee to the Wu state and helped the Wu state attack the Chu state. After 5 campaigns he led the Wu army to capture the capital of the Chu state, Yincheng City. Then he helped the Wu army defeat the Yue state. He refused firmly the peace proposal by the Yue state. He was misunderstood by the Wu king and was forced to kill himself. Before his death, he was very calm and predicted the Wu state would be defeated by the Yue state at last, which proved to become a reality a few years later. So it is said that the Dragon Boat Festival is set to commemorate Wu Zixu.

The third meaning of the Dragon Boat Festival is to commemorate the pious daughter Cao Eh who drowned herself in the river in order to save her father. She lived in Shangyu City in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Her father was drowned in the river and his corpse could not be found. Cao Eh, only aged 14, cried along the river all day and all night. She carried her father's body out of the river all by herself. The event was known to the country officials. They made steles and odes in honor of her. Her grave lies in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province. The words on the grave stone were written by Wang Xizhi, a famous calligrapher in the Jin Dynasty. After that, in honor of her, people built the Cao Eh Temple and the town as well as the river was named after her.

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