The dragon boat races are the main feature of theDuanwu Festival of southern China（the 5th day of the 5thlunar month），which is said to have begun in the Springand Autumn Period and the period of the Warring States.
During this period the worthy official Qu Yuan（340–278BC）of the State of Chu jumped into a river，and his countrymenvied to save him，but he disappeared in DongtingLake without a trace.Every year after this on the 5th dayof the 5th lunar month people rowed boats on the riverto scatter the fish and keep them from eating Qu Yuan’sbody.The custom then spread throughout the states ofWu，Yue，and Chu.
There is another version of how the dragon boat racesbegan.In primitive totem society，people worshipped theimage of the powerful dragon as their own ancestor andprotective spirit（as a totem）。Tribal people who lived in regions of lakes and rivers built boats in the shape of adragon and decorated them with illustrations of dragonsto protect them from the harm of snakes，insects，disease，and the threat of floods.Every year during the DuanwuFestival they hold the dragon race to show their reverencefor the dragon and to show that they are descendantsof the dragon.
The dragon boat races，in addition to being a way toremember Qu Yuan，are given other implications in otherareas.In Guangxi they are known as“pushing dragonboats”and are a favorite mass sport among the localpeople.In Jiangsu and Zhejiang area，the dragon boatraces are also held in honor of Qiu Jin，a locally bornmodern revolutionary.The sight at night on the dragonboats is a moving and exciting one，with the colorful lanternson boats and the boats weaving in and out and upand down the river.The Miao people of Guizhou holda“Dragon Boat Festival”from the 25th to the 28th of the5th month of the lunar calendar to celebrate success inthe planting of seedlings and wish for a bountiful grain harvest.The people of different ethnic groups and differentareas have different explanations for the dragon boatraces.Down to the present many areas in southern Chinalocated near rivers，lakes，and seas hold dragon boat racesand activities with their own characteristics every yearduring the Duanwu Festival.
People in Taiwan began holding dragon boat racesduring the 29th year of the reign of the Qing DynastyEmperor Qianlong（1739 AD）and they now hold themevery year on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month.Dragonboat races are also held in Hong Kong and people in Englandalso hold races after the Chinese custom，organizingteams for the activity.In addition，the custom of holdingdragon boat races has spread to neighboring countriessuch as Japan and Vietnam.
The dragon boat races always attract large numbersof tourists and the two banks of the river are always coveredwith people cheering，yelling，setting off fireworksand banging gongs.Dragon boat races are held in villages，towns and counties and in some places the racesare connected with activities to promote friendship andcommercial ties.In order to better develop this traditionalfestival custom，the State Physical Culture administrationorganized and set up the Dragon Boat Association anddeclared an annual National Dragon Boat Month be ob-served every year.The organization and leadership of theDragon Boat Association covers the dragon boat competitionsin China and abroad and both competition and traditionaldragon boats to ensure that Dragon Boat Monthis a brilliant success.The scope of dragon boat races hascontinued to grow，expanding from southern China tonorthern China and from rural residents to college students.