Dragon boat teams compete on a river in Hangzhou city. [Photo/xinhua]

Dragon boat racing

At the center of the festival are the dragon boat races. Competing teams drive their colorful dragon boats forward to the rhythm of beating drums. These exciting races were inspired by the villager's valiant attempts to rescue Qu Yuan from the Milo River. This tradition has remained unbroken for centuries.

Eating zongzi

Most Chinese festivals are tied to a particular food, and Dragon Boat Festival is no exception.

A very popular dish during Dragon Boat Festival is zongzi. This tasty dish consists of rice dumplings with meat, peanuts, egg yolks or other fillings wrapped in bamboo leaves. The tradition of zongzi is meant to remind us of village fishermen scattering rice across the water of the Miluo River in order to appease the river dragons and fish so that they would not devour Qu Yuan.