By Rebecca Zhang & Julie Zhu
June 8, 2018
The culture-experiencing activity of the Dragon Boat Festival was held at the 3rd Canteen on June 8, 2018, which was organized by the Logistics Division, the Division of International Cooperation & Exchange, and the Graduate Division; undertaken by Shanghai Angdian Logistics Co. Ltd, the School of Business and the School of Electrical Engineering. Representatives from international students, postgraduates, teachers and logistics staff gathered together to make zongzi.
Leaders from the Logistics Division, the Division of International Cooperation & Exchange and the Graduate Division gave their best wishes to students. Everyone has experienced the hard-work of logistics, enjoyed the fun of handmade food and had a better understanding for Chinese traditional culture through this activity.
Under the guidance of logistics staff, everyone learned hard and tried their best to wrap the fillings into glutinous rice ball, tasting both their own delicious work and sweetness of the Dragon Boat Festival.
The origin of this festival centers around a government official named Qu Yuan.He was a good and respected man. Unable to regain the respect of the emperor, in his sorrow Qu Yuan threw himself into the Mi Lo river. Because of their admiration for Qu Yuan, the local people living adjacent to the Mi Lo River rushed into their boats to search for him while throwing zongzi into the waters to appease the river dragons.Although they were unable to find Qu Yuan, their efforts are still commemorated today during the Dragon Boat Festival.
Zongzi is an essential food of the Dragon Boat Festival. It is said that people ate them in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). Now the fillings are more diversified, including jujube and bean paste, fresh meat, and ham and egg yolk. people will soak glutinous rice, wash reed leaves and wrap up zongzi themselves. Otherwise, they will go to shops to buy whatever stuff they want. The custom of eating zongzi is now popular in North and South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asian nations.
