Qu Yuan and Dragon Boat Festival

　　After the emperor, the tree is beautiful, and the orange is attractive.

　　I was ordered not to move, and I was born in the south.

　　Deep-rooted and difficult to migrate, more determined.

　　These poems are from Qu Yuan’s early work Ode to an Orange, which can be described as a portrayal of Qu Yuan’s patriotic feelings throughout his life.

　　On the 23rd day of the first month of the summer calendar in 353 BC, a baby came into the world. Qu Yuan was born on the day of Yinyue Yinnian, and the ancients thought that the gathering of three Yin was the best time. Qu Yuan’s birth also brought infinite hope to the Qu family.

　　According to historical records, the ancestors of Chu began with Xiong’s surname. In the early Spring and Autumn Period, Chu Wuwang Xiong Tong’s son was given a title of "Qu" because of his merits, and his descendants took the title of "Qu" as their surname. Qu Yuan is a descendant of Qu Xia. For more than 300 years, the Qujia family has been the oldest and most prominent Wang clan in Chu, and has held important positions in Chu for generations, dominating the military, political, diplomatic and educational powers. However, when Qu Yuan was born, the Qu family had been declining.

　　Born into a noble family, Qu Yuan naturally entered the authority of Chu State when he grew up. First, he served as a doctor in San Lv, managing the genealogy of the royal clan. In his twenties, he became a disciple of Chu Huaiwang, discussing state affairs with the King of Chu at home, issuing orders, receiving guests abroad and dealing with princes. The king of Chu trusted Qu Yuan very much, and asked him to draft laws and regulations, and also asked him to send a mission to Qi State to unite against Qin. Sima Qian’s Historical Records commented that Qu Yuan was "knowledgeable and ambitious" and "skillful in rhetoric".

　　At that time, the Qin State in the west was the most powerful and often attacked the six countries. Su Qin, a famous scholar, put forward an alliance, that is, to unite the six countries to fight against Qin. Qu Yuan took an active part in this matter, and together with Su Qin, he helped the kings of Chu, Qi, Yan, Zhao, Han and Wei gather together in the capital of Chu, forming an alliance, and made Huai Wang the leader of the alliance. Therefore, Qu Yuan was highly valued by King Huai, and many internal and foreign affairs of Chu were decided by Qu Yuan.

　　In order to realize the great cause of rejuvenating the State of Chu, Qu Yuan actively assisted Huai Wang in reforming his country, rewarding farming, promoting talents, fighting against seclusion, banning cronies, clearly rewarding and punishing, and changing customs. However, these practices of Qu Yuan touched the interests of nobles and bureaucrats. A group of nobles headed by Zi Lan, the son of Chu State, often spoke ill of Qu Yuan in front of Huai Wang. There were more people who provoked each other, and King Huai gradually alienated Qu Yuan.

　　The State of Qin has always been eyeing the State of Chu, only because of the alliance of Qi and Chu, the State of Qin did not dare to start work. Zhang Yi, the prime minister of Qin, wanted to take advantage of the internal discord in Chu to personally break up the six-nation alliance.

　　Zhang Yi first bought Jin Shang, Zi Lan, Zheng Xiu and others as spies with a large sum of money, and deceived the king of Chu, saying, "If Chu can break up with Qi, Qin is willing to give more than 600 miles of land in the area." Qu yuan tried his best to persuade, but the king of Chu wouldn’t listen.

　　Chu Huaiwang broke off the alliance with Qi, and sent people to the land of Qin with Yi Chang. After returning to Qin, Zhang Yi pretended to be ill and didn’t see the envoy of Chu for three months. King Huai thought that Zhang Yi blamed him for not being determined enough to sever ties with Qi, and sent someone to insult Qi. The king of Qi was furious and broke off the union with Chu. Instead, he joined forces with Qin. At this time, Zhang Yicai came out to the Chu envoy and said, "Why don’t you accept the land? From a certain place to a certain place, it is six miles wide. "

　　Six hundred Li became six Li, and the Chu envoy was very angry. When he came back to report to Chu Huaiwang, he was furious with the king and attacked Qin twice. As a result, he was defeated by Qin and lost 80,000 troops. More than 70 people, including General Qu Gai and General Bi, were captured by Qin Jun, and Hanzhong County fell, which is known as the "Battle of Danyang" in history. Subsequently, Qin sent troops to capture 600 Li of Hanzhong (now Hanzhong, Shaanxi) in Chu, and set it in Hanzhong County.

　　Only then did Chu Huaiwang realize the importance of the Qi-Chu alliance, so he sent Qu Yuan to the State of Qi, trying to mend fences. Qin was afraid of the resumption of diplomatic relations between Qi and Chu. In order to ease the relationship, he offered to return half of the land in Hanzhong for peace. Chu Huaiwang hated Yi Cheung, and proposed not to Hanzhong, but Yi Cheung’s head. King Hui of Qin did not agree, but Zhang Yi said with confidence, "I, Zhang Yi alone, can reach the land in Hanzhong, and I am willing to go to Chu."

　　After Zhang Yi went to Chu, he bribed people like Zheng Xiu and Jin Shang, and made some sweet words in front of Chu Huaiwang. Chu Huaiwang actually released Yi Cheung again, and forged an in-laws relationship with the king of Qin. When Qu Yuan brought Qi back, it showed the interest. Huai Wang wanted to get back Zhang Yi, and Zhang Yi had already gone without a trace.

　　In the twenty-fourth year of Chu Huaiwang, Chu went to Qin to meet the bride. In the second year, King Huai and King Qin met in Huangji (now northeast of Xinye County, Henan Province) and accepted the land of Shang Yong returned by Qin (now Zhushan County, Hubei Province). Qu Yuan tried his best to oppose it, but he was exiled.

　　After thirty years of Huai Wang, Qu Yuan returned to the capital of Chu. In the same year, Qin made an appointment with Wang Wuguan to meet. Chu Huaiwang received a letter from King Zhao Xiang of Qin, and refused to go for fear of offending the State of Qin. Go, but be afraid of danger. He consulted with the ministers.

　　Qu Yuan said to Chu Huaiwang, "The State of Qin is as violent as a jackal. We have been bullied by the State of Qin more than once. When the king goes, he will fall into their trap. "

　　However, Zi Lan, the son, kept urging Chu Huaiwang to go: "We regarded Qin as the enemy, and as a result, many people died and lost their land. Now that Qin is willing to make up with us, how can we refuse others? "

　　Chu Huaiwang listened to Childe Zilan and went to the State of Qin. Unexpectedly, this trip never came back.

　　Chu Huaiwang just stepped into the Wu Pass of Qin State, and was immediately cut off by the troops ambushed by Qin State in advance. King Zhao Xiang of Qin forced Chu Huaiwang to cede the land in central Guizhou to Qin, but Chu Huaiwang did not agree. King Qin Zhaoxiang took Chu Huaiwang to Xianyang and put him under house arrest, asking the minister of Chu to redeem the land before releasing him.

　　When the ministers of Chu heard that the monarch was detained, they made the prince the new monarch and refused to cede the land. This monarch is King Xiang of Chu Qing. Zi Lan, a son, became the commander of Chu. Chu Huaiwang later died in the state of Qin even though he was ill with gas.

　　After Chu Huaiwang’s death, Qu Yuan advised King Xiang of Chu to collect talents, stay away from villains, encourage soldiers and soldiers, practice military forces, and avenge the country and Huai Wang.

　　However, his advice attracted the hatred of Yin Zilan and Jin Shang, who often framed Qu Yuan in front of King Xiang of Chu. I heard this kind of slanderous talk too much. King Chu Qingxiang dismissed Qu Yuan and exiled him to southern Hunan.

　　Qu Yuan held the ambition of enriching the country and strengthening the people, but was pushed out by treacherous court officials. After he arrived in southern Hunan, he often walked along the Miluo River and sang sad poems.

　　One day, Qu Yuan met a fisherman by the river. The fisherman said to Qu Yuan, "Aren’t you a doctor of the State of Chu? How did you get to this point? "

　　Qu yuan said: "many people are dirty, only I am clean;" Many people are drunk, but only I am still awake. So I was driven here. "

　　The fisherman said disapprovingly, "since you think everyone else is dirty, you shouldn’t flatter yourself;" Since everyone else is drunk, why should you wake up alone! "

　　Qu Yuan objected, "I heard that people always clean their hats after washing their heads, and people who just take a shower always like to dust their clothes. I would rather jump into the river and be buried in the belly of a fish than jump into the mud with my clean body and get dirty. " On the fifth day of May in 278 BC, Qu Yuan finally jumped into the Miluo River with a big stone in his arms and committed suicide.

　　The farmers nearby rowed boats to save Qu Yuan. But there is a flood in Wang Yang, where there is the shadow of Qu Yuan. People were very upset. Facing the river, they scattered the rice in the bamboo tube as a gift to Qu Yuan.

　　On the fifth day of May of the following year, the local people rowed a boat and put rice in the bamboo tube to sacrifice to Qu Yuan. Later, they changed the bamboo tube with rice into zongzi and rowed the boat into a dragon boat. This activity in memory of Qu Yuan has gradually become a custom.