Tuen Ng - Dragon Boat Festival

Today’s Hong Kong is a place of happiness, color, warm-hearted people, and festivals. Celebrating life, the people enjoy a number of celebrations, the top one being Tuen Ng, or the Dragon Boat Festival. This particular festival is held on the fifth day of the fifth moon, which occurs in early June. Tuen Ng has been a celebration enjoyed by millions for the past two plus millennia. Although its exact origin is unknown, legend tells us that the festival was established as a means of commemorating the tragic death of Chu Yuan, an honest and educated minister of state. His death, which occurred in 288 BC and the ancient kingdom of Ch’u, was devastating.

At this time Chu was a powerful and dedicated man on the throne, wise beyond his time. He was good to the people, acting as a wise advisor. Unfortunately, some people did not appreciate or respect Chu’s influence on the country of China, so they tried to put him in bad favor with the king. To make matters for Chu worse, the King’s joss took bad advice from him, leading to a war that was lost. During this battle, the king himself was captured!

Chu, being concerned for the king, wrote a poem entitled, Li Sao, which became a classical speech. Interestingly, because of this very poem, some people call Tuen Ng “Poet’s Day” or “Patriotic Poet’s Day”. Although his intentions were good, the king was angered, ordering that Chu be exiled. However, instead of leaving the city, Chu jumped into the Mi-Lo River, which today is located in the Hunan Province. To symbolize vain attempts of Chu’s friends and followers to save him, the Tuen Ng or Dragon Boat Festival was created.

Now, keep in mind that that story is just one told about Chu. Another is that Chu, upset that his counsel had been ignored, wandered off one day. After writing Li Sao, he became so hurt and disgusted by people that he committed suicide. To mourn Chu’s death, the people threw rice in the river to ensure his ghost had food. Then one bright day, Chu’s ghost appeared to the people on the bank saying, “You made offerings to me of which, I am thankful but the rice was devoured by turtles and fish. I hope you will offer me rice again but this time, please wrap it in bamboo tubes, close the openings with leaves, and bind it with colored thread so the turtles and fish will not eat it”.

While these stories are indeed intriguing, a third version of Chu’s death exists. With this one, Chu still wrote Li Sao, committed suicide, and the people still threw rice in the river to feed his spirit. However, this time, Chu instructed the people on the bank to use silk not bamboo. He also instructed that the silk rice packets be bound carefully with fine threads, each of a different color. Today, while some people will throw loose rice in the river during Tuen Ng and some bamboo tubes, most offer the rice packets made of silk, tied with colorful thread.

The dragon boats themselves are huge war canoes that have a dragon head carved at the bow and at the stern, a dragon’s tail. The size of the dragon boats vary significantly, some being manned by 15 to 25 people and some up to 80, all paddling away. In addition to the rowers, the dragon boats also have a drummer who sits in the middle of the canoe, beating out the timing of oar strokes. During the festival, you will likely see six to ten different sites where the races are held. The two largest include Yaumatei and Tai Po, although Stanley Village is also a great spot. However, since the sites change, you would need to check with the locals to determine the exact locations for the year you visit.

The interesting thing is that Tuen Ng consists of teams comprised of restaurant or bar owners, embassies, police or firefighters, welfare groups, Boy Scouts, and so on. The races involve elimination heats with the three fastest boats going into the final round. Although this has long been a man’s game, in 1971, the first women’s team entered and today, you will commonly see women racing the boats. As you can imagine, the areas around the Dragon Boat Festival are crowded but worth the effort to get there.

To signal the start of the race, a gunshot rings out, which is followed by a mirage of drums beating and cymbals clanging to help ward off evil spirits. Then after the local Tuen Ng ends, the International Dragon Boat Races are held about a week later. With this, you see teams coming from all over Asia and even the United States, eager to compete. In addition to the colorful boats and the loud noise of drums, both festivals are a time of enjoying rice dumplings, which have been around for a long time. Most are made from glutinous rice, fresh or salted meat or ham although you can also enjoy sweet rice dumplings made from rice bean paste, date paste, and honey.


Last Updated: 10/19/2006 3:14:00 PM

The Riches of Hong Kong
Hong Kong is a city in China consisting of lights and action, a big city with 14 million people milling about trying to make their way through the crowds. However, Hong Kong is also an efficient and peaceful city with
... continue >>

Bank of China Tower
When arriving in Hong Kong, the first thing you will notice is all the tall buildings. From every angle, the city is dotted with buildings of all sizes. Taking time to experience the activity of this city is one of the
... continue >>

Lantau Island
Although Hong Kong is a city of massive skyscrapers, lights, and activity from the millions of people that live and visit there, it is also a place of magnificent mountains, specifically to the south toward Lantau
... continue >>