Blog Post: Books on the Dragon Boat Festival

The Dragon Boat Festival is a public holiday that closes most schools and businesses for the day. During this festival, the Republic of China celebrates Qu Yuan, recognized as China’s first poet, after his suicide. He was recognized for his wisdom and intellectual ways, but was exiled under the presumption of conspiracy. As a result, he wrote poems to express his anger and sorrow before drowning himself in the Miluo River (“Dragon Boat Festival in China.”).

As a holiday and celebration, this festival is one that Chinese children must learn about. There are many traditions that are wrapped up in this festival including dragon boat racing and making traditional food, specifically zongzi. As a Chinese person, myself, I never really understood the story behind the traditions despite taking part in them at a young age. For children, exposure to different cultures and their traditions is vital to being more understanding between cultures. Below are some children’s novels that I recommend for children:

Awakening the Dragon: The Dragon Boat Festival by Arlene Chan

A woman who is a dragon boat racer herself wrote this book, and in it, she describes the origins of the festival along with the traditions that go along with it. From first hand experience, this book is able to descriptively and accurately discuss the joys and energies of the festival. This book focuses on the joys of the festivals, and it allows non-Chinese readers to gain an understanding of the Chinese culture.

Celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival by Sanmu Tang

As another story told by a Chinese author, the accuracy of the history can be seen. This book is part of a series that talks about different Chinese celebrations through a young girl, Little Mei, asking her grandfather about the celebration. This book focuses on the background story of Qu Yuan, and it gives an understanding to the reasoning behind the Dragon Boat Festival. I think that this story provides value to those who do not know the reason why they are celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival.

Works Cited

“5 Children’s Books about the Dragon Boat Festival.” Colours of Us. N.p., 28 May 2018. Web. 10 Dec. 2018.

Chan, Arlene. Awakening the Dragon: The Dragon Boat Festival. Canada: Tundra Books, 2007.

“Dragon Boat Festival in China.” Timeanddate.com. N.p., 2018. Web. 10 Dec. 2018.

Tang, Sanmu. Celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival. Shanghai, China: Shanghai Press, 2010.