While in exile, Qu Yuan wrote many poems sublimating his grief into patriotic poetry. Nonetheless, the gloom took its toll. He became more and more emaciated as the days wore on.
One day, an elderly fisherman was leisurely rowing a small boat on the Miluo River when he saw Qu Yuan standing by the side of the river. He stopped rowing and asked Qu Yuan out of curiosity: “Aren’t you a minister from Chu? Why are you drifting to here and all by yourself?”
Qu Yuan looked at the fisherman sadly and sighed: “You don’t understand. I have a home that I can’t return to. I wholeheartedly want to serve my country, but fail to gain the king’s confidence. I have been exiled here.”
The fisherman patted Qu Yuan’s shoulder and said: “Why so serious? Look, there are many ministers who are as happy as anyone can be, no matter what a mess the country is in. Why don’t you learn from them? Why do you worry so much?”
Qu Yuan answered: “As a minister, I have to fulfill my duty. How could I only care about enjoying myself and squander my life away in decadent company? I might as well jump into the river to feed the fish.”
“Maybe you should do what I do,” said the fisherman, “retreat into nature, row my boat, catch some fish, bask in the scenic grandeur, hum some nice tunes … and not worry about anything. Isn’t this great? Why do you want to make yourself so miserable?”
Qu Yuan said with a bitter smile: “You, sir, are so blessed indeed. But for me, when I see the people suffering and the nation in trouble, I become very edgy. How could I indulge myself in such pursuits?”
The fisherman saw that he couldn’t convince Qu Yuan, so he shook his head, waved goodbye, and rowed away.
A cold draft suddenly gushed out of the blue, and a lone goose scurried across the gloomy sky. Qu Yuan saw that he could not serve his country or find people of like minds. He felt forlorn. What’s the point, he asked.
With that, he picked up a large rock and jumped into the Miluo River. Layers after seemingly never-ending layers of droplets splashed across the river … gradually transforming into endless ripples. Finally stillness returned, but not Qu Yuan. That day was the 5th of the 5th month of the lunar calendar.
The villagers nearby heard about the tragedy and rowed their boats to attempt to rescue Qu Yuan, but they were too late. With drums and gongs they tried to stave off the fish and shrimp in the river from ravaging Qu Yuan’s body. They also put rice in bamboo containers to lure the fish away from Qu Yuan’s body.
Since then, people throughout Asia have celebrated Duan Wu Festival on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month in commemoration of Qu Yuan and his patriotic spirit. The festival has nowadays evolved into the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival with boat racing, drum music, and eating rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves called zongzi.
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