STORY: Dragon Boat Festival celebrations across China
SHOOTING TIME: June 9, 2024
DATELINE: June 10, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:24
LOCATION: Beijing
CATEGORY: CULTURE/SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of people celebrating Dragon Boat Festival
2. various of dragon boat race in Fujian
3. various of dragon boat race in Guangdong
4. various of dragon boat race in Xinjiang
5. various of people making Zongzi in Henan
6. various of people making Zongzi in Yunnan
7. various of people making mugwort sachets in Ningxia
8. various of people celebrating Dragon Boat Festival in Shaanxi
9. various of people celebrating Dragon Boat Festival in Anhui
10. various of people celebrating Dragon Boat Festival in Beijing
11. various of people celebrating Dragon Boat Festival in Hunan

STORYLINE:

Vibrant sounds of cheers and drumbeats filled the air across China, celebrating the traditional Chinese Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on Monday this year.

The festival commemorates the famous Chinese poet Qu Yuan, who was also a minister of the State of Chu during the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC). Qu drowned himself in the Miluo River in despair after he was accused of treason and banished for offering well-intended advice to the king.

Legend has it that upon learning of Qu's death, locals took to boats on the river to search for his body, dropping rice dumplings called Zongzi, into the water to prevent him from being eaten by fish. This is why Chinese people hold dragon boat races and make Zongzi to eat during the festival.

Alongside these traditions, many people now choose to celebrate the three-day holiday in a modern style, taking cultural tours and traveling, unleashing the potential of the domestic and international tourism markets.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beijing.
(XHTV)