m removed from service. in exile, he traveled, taught and wrote for several years. hearing that the zhou had been defeated by the qin, he fell into despair and threw himself into the milou river. his last poem reads:
many a heavy sigh i have in my despair,
grieving that i was born in such an unlucky time.
i yoked a team of jade dragons to a phoenix chariot,
and waited for the wind to come,
to sour up on my journey
as he was so loved by the people, fishermen rushed out in long boats, beating drums to scare the fish away, and throwing zong zi into the water to feed braver fish so that they would not eat qu yuan's body.
the modern dragon boat festival started from that time to this day, people commemorated qu yuan through dragon boat races, eating zong zi, and several other activities, on the anniversary of his death: the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.
dragon boat races are the most exciting part of the festival, drawing