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Duan Wu Jie, commonly known as the Dumpling Festival, is a day for commemorating a Chinese poet Qu Yuan and other national patriots. This day falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, and it reminds oneself of one's responsibilities and duties to one's country. Chinese eat rice dumplings and participate in dragon boat competitions on this day.

There was this learned and patriotic poet called Qu Yuan (340 - 278 B.C.) during the period of the Warring States. He was a loyal official in the Chu Kingdom. Evil court officials, who were jealous of Qu Yuan's abilities, influenced the emperor to banish him from Chu Kingdom. During the next 20 years, Qu Yuan travelled widely and wrote poems on what he saw and thought. Qu Yuan was disheartened when he saw the Qin Kingdom conquer the Chu Kingdom. Overwhelmed by misery, Qu Yuan clasped a stone to his chest and plunged into the Mi Luo River in Hunan province. When news of Qu Yuan's suicide reached the fishermen, they set sail to look for his body, hence the tradition of holding dragon boat races. Unfortunately, Qu Yuan's body was nowhere to be found and the people threw rice into the river for Qu Yuan to feed on. Later the local fishermen were told in their dreams that the fishes and other creatures in the river ate the rice instead of Qu Yuan. Thus, the second time they threw rice into the river, they stuffed it into bamboo sections. This later evolved into what Chinese do now: wrap rice in bamboo leaves stuffed with meat, beans, salted egg yolks, mushrooms, etc..