AHEAD of this year’s Dragon Boast Festival, which is also known as Duanwu Festival and falls on this coming Monday, people across China are busy preparing for the festival celebrations. To commemorate Chinese patriotic poet and statesman Qu Yuan (340-278 B.C.), who committed suicide by drowning himself in a river in 278 B.C., people who lived thousands of years ago would throw zongzi (rice balls wrapped in reed leaves) into the river to feed the fish who might eat Qu’s body. Gradually, however, the festival has become a time for family reunion and for people to enjoy zongzi dumplings with various pastes inside. In addition to a family feast, people participate in dragon boat races, hang fresh mugwort leaves, and make perfume sachets.

    On the eve of this year’s Dragon Boat Festival, we have gathered some pictures to showcase this special time of a year. (Tan Yifan)