The dragon boat story.
The dragon boat tradition was born more or less 2,500 years ago. One legend claims that the Chinese statesman and poet Chu Yuan wanted to drown himself in the Mi Lo River – he had been banished and was desperate and discredited. The native fishermen are said to have launched their boots to rescue him. They slapped their paddles loudly into the water, in order to chase off the evil spirits. To stop the fish from eating the body of their beloved poet, the fisherman threw food to the fish. Their search was in vain. Yet this legend constitutes the origin of today’s competitive paddling. Thereafter, the fishermen met every year with their boats in Chu Yuan’s honour, and carried out a symbolic search in memory of the poet – in numerous dragon boat races. Over the years, they decorated their small craft in the manner one sees more and more these days – at international gatherings outside of Asia.
