The 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar year is an important day for the Chinese people. The day called "Duan Wu" (meaning Day of Right Mid-Day) is observed everywhere in China. This unique Chinese celebration dates back to earliest times and a number of legends explain its origins.

The best known story centers on a patriotic court official named Qu Yuan more than 2,000 years ago. Qu tried to warn the emperor of an increasingly corrupt government, but failed. In a last desperate protest, he threw himself into the river and drown.

Qu Yuan's sympathizers jumped into boats, beat the water with their oars and made rice dumplings wrapped in reed-leaves (zongzi) and scattered them into the Miluo River in the hope that fish in the river would eat the rice dumplings instead of the body of the deceased poet.

At the news of the poet's death, the local people raced out in boats searching his body. Later the activity became a popular event in many places along rivers and lakes throughout the world as dragon-boat races.

The custom of making rice dumplings with various fillings also spread to the whole country. The bamboo leaf wrapped zongzi is prepared in advance, keeps well for a number of days, and therefore is also taken into the fields during the harvest as a wonderful meal.