Eating rice dumplings on Dragon Boat Festival is to commemorate the great patriotic poet Qu Yuan.
In the records of "Historical Records", people can learn that Qu Yuan was a minister of the Chu State. Qu Yuan only wanted to unite Qi State against Qin State. However, Qu Yuan's idea met with opposition, and in the end Qu Yuan was framed and demoted. During his exile, when Qu Yuan learned that Chu had been conquered by Qin, he was heartbroken and threw himself into the Miluo River.
It is reported that after Qu Yuan’s death, the people of Chu State were extremely sad. In order to prevent Qu Yuan's body from being eroded by fish and shrimps. People spontaneously threw rice dumplings into the river.
Eating rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival has become a specific festival custom. People in both the south and the north will eat rice dumplings on this day. On this day, people eat rice dumplings to pay homage to Qu Yuan.