Docked Dragon Boat at Night I

The Duanwu, or Dragon Boat Festival, is a chinese traditional holiday. One story of the origin of the festival involves the death of the great poet... more

by William Dickman

Title

Docked Dragon Boat at Night I

Artist

William Dickman

Medium

Photograph - Fine Art Photograph

Description

The Duanwu, or Dragon Boat Festival, is a chinese traditional holiday. One story of the origin of the festival involves the death of the great poet Qu Yuan:
As a minister in the State of Chu - one of the seven Warring States, Qu Yuan was a patriotic poet who wrote a lot of works to show his care and devotion to his country. Composing masterpieces like Li Sao (The Lament), he was regarded as one of the greatest poets in Chinese history. After he was exiled by the king, he chose to drown himself in the river rather than seeing his country invaded and conquered by the State of Qin. He died on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, thus people decided to commemorate him on that day every year. Legend holds that the race originates from the idea of the people who rowed their boats to save Qu Yuan after he drowned himself.
There are many designs for dragon boats, from mundane skiffs to the elaborate boat seen in this image. (May 2019)

Uploaded

June 1st, 2019