Miluo Dragon Boat Festival

Name: Miluo Dragon Boat Festival
Start: 2027-06-09
End: 2027-06-09
Location: Miluo, Hunan, China

汨罗端午龙舟 · Miluo, Hunan, China

Photo: Huangdan2060 · CC BY 3.0

Spend the Dragon Boat Festival on the Miluo River, where Qu Yuan drowned himself: watch the races and pay your respects to the Chu poet at Quzi Cultural Park.

Know before you go

Climbing over riverside railings
throwing objects into the river

This article is Not yet verified. Please check official announcements for prices, opening hours and dates.

Stories & people

Legend

The Legend of the Boats and the Zongzi

Legend has it that after Qu Yuan threw himself into the river, villagers raced along the water to save him but never found him. They then threw zongzi into the river so that the fish would not eat his body. Racing boats and casting zongzi on that day later became the way to remember him.

Source: Office Holidays: Dragon Boat Festival

Culture

Culture & customs

Background

Qu Yuan was a poet of the State of Chu in the Warring States period who drowned himself in the Miluo River in 278 BC. The customs of dragon boat racing and eating zongzi at the Dragon Boat Festival are closely tied to the legends that commemorate him. In 2009 the Dragon Boat Festival was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Around the festival, dragon boat races and rites honouring Qu Yuan take place on the Miluo River. Quzi Cultural Park, in Quzi Temple Town, Miluo, has the Quzi Shrine, which honours the poet with traditional halls, stone steles and displays on Chu culture, and you can also try wrapping zongzi.

Local customs

Watch dragon boat racing on the Miluo River
visit Quzi Cultural Park and the Quzi Shrine
try wrapping zongzi
watch the rites honouring Qu Yuan

Etiquette & taboos

Don’t DON'T

Climbing over riverside railings
throwing objects into the river

Locals appreciate DO

Watch from the designated viewing areas on the banks
follow on-site directions
remain solemn during the rites for Qu Yuan

Plan your visit

Practical info

2027 dates	June 9, 2027

Travel tips

Dragon boat events are held around the Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, with the race schedule announced each year. Quzi Cultural Park is in Quzi Temple Town, some distance from central Miluo, so check shuttle options in advance and watch for traffic controls on race days. Tickets and transport arrangements are subject to official announcements.