The Dragon Boat Festival Story: Qu Yuan, Myth, and History – S6-E15
About this episode
The episode explores the origins and traditions of the Dragon Boat Festival, focusing on Qu Yuan and various cultural practices in Taiwan.
Looking for the true story behind the Dragon Boat Festival ( Duanwu Jie )? There’s much more to it than dragon boat races and sticky rice dumplings ( zongzi ). Many know the standard origin story of the patriotic poet Qu Yuan , but Formosa Files uncovers the less-tidy roots of the holiday. The Dragon Boat Festival date falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month; once feared as the dangerous "Month of a Hundred Poisons." Discover how people responded with temple rituals, protective herbs, and even arsenic-laced wine. John Ross and Eryk Michael Smith also chat about what marks the arrival of summer in modern Taiwan, from peak mango season to the blooming of the yellow golden shower and red flame trees right around when schools celebrate graduations. Plus, Eryk shares ancient wisdom from Ben-Hur ("Row well, and live" – 1959) as he recounts his own dragon boat racing glory.
More episodes of The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
- The Princess and the Policeman – S6-E18
- Taiwan’s First Sex Change (1953-1955) – S6-E17 (Not suitable for minors)
- Sky Cop TC Brown Returns – S6-E16
- The Fake Fishmonger – Snack 08
- Snakes of Taiwan (with Gerrut Norval) – S6-E16
- Keelung to Ishigaki Ferry: Taiwan’s Forgotten Yaeyama Stories – Snack 07
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