Usually, at this time of year, we’d be busily rounding up all the best activities relating to the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival.
From fragrant pouch and zongzi making classes, to paddle boat races, and telling the story of Qu Yuan, learning and cultural activities tend to go hand in hand with this special two-day public holiday. Sadly this year, Covid has put a kybosh on pretty much all of our plans, so instead, we thought we’d take a trip back through our archives and dig out some of the best Dragon Boat themed blogs for your reading pleasure.
Qu Yuan, the scholar and poet whose sad story is central to the Dragon Boat Festival
First up, we have this great Mandarin Monday article, with key vocabulary surrounding the festival, and an explainer on why it’s not actually a great idea to say “Happy Dragon Boat Festival”. Keep reading.
Dragon Boat races are a rare sight in Beijing these days
Next, this piece from 2014 details one expat’s experience learning how to create zongzi from scratch… it’s not as easy as it might seem! Click here to read.
Bamboo-wrapped 粽子 zòngzi, sticky rice treats
Apparently back in 2009 it was still possible to watch dragon boat races on Houhai Lake, and even participate in a weekly dragon-boat club meet! Step back in time with this article.
Silk painted ‘fragrant pouches’
While it’s very common to make and eat zongzi at Dragon Boat Festival, there is another activity associated with this period: fragrant pouches. As the name suggests, they are little silk pouches filled with fragrant spices and incense and designed to keep insects away. Back in 2018 our writer learned how to make them himself.
Finally, this isn’t one from our archive but we couldn’t resist sharing it with you. Click through for a great step-by-step guide of how to make your own zongzi at home, from Omnivore’s Kitchen.
Images: Uni You, Siyu He
