Dragons, dragons, dragons.
龙马精神,龙腾虎跃,龙的传人。
We know that Chinese people love dragons.
中国人对龙的热爱是众所周知的。
But did you know that one of the oldest sports in China is also dragon-related?
但你知道中国最古老的一项运动也与龙有关吗?
That's right, it's the dragon boat race!
没错,是赛龙舟!
The very first dragon boat race took place more than 2,000 years ago... and is still taking place today!
最早的龙舟比赛举办于2000多年前,并一直延续到今天!
Dragon boat races happen every year during Duanwu Jie, which is called the Dragon Boat Festival in English.
每年端午节都会举行龙舟比赛,这个节日在英文里就叫龙舟节。
Duanwu Jie takes place on the 5th day of the 5th month of the Chinese lunar calendar, so it typically falls in May or June.
中国农历五月初五是端午节,所以它通常在公历的五月或六月间。
Duanwu Jie, or Dragon Boat Festival is one of the three big Chinese festivals - along with the Chinese New Year and the Mid-Autumn Festival So where did the Dragon Boat Festival, or Duanwu Jie, come from?
端午节,或称龙舟节,是中国三大节日之一,与春节和中秋节齐名。那么龙舟节,或者端午节,是怎么来的呢?
Well, there once lived a great Chinese poet named Qu Yuan.
曾经有一位伟大的中国诗人名叫屈原。
Qu Yuan served as the emperor's advisor and was held in the highest regard by the Chinese people for his patriotism.
屈原是皇帝的谋士,老百姓对他的爱国精神极为推崇。
However, his enemies spoke badly of him to the emperor so the emperor banished Qu Yuan from the imperial court.
然而,他的政敌在皇帝面前说了很多他的坏话,所以皇帝把屈原逐出了京城。
Without Quyuan's advice, the emperor continued to make ill decisions that caused the country's downfall.
没有屈原的直言进谏,皇帝不停做出错误决策,最终导致了国家的灭亡。
Qu Yuan, who loved his country very much, was overwhelmed with sadness.
屈原深爱着自己的国家,因此悲伤的不能自己。
He waded into the Miluo River while holding a large stone, eventually disappearing into the waters.
他抱着一块大石头蹚进了汨罗江,最终消失在滔滔江水中。
When the people of China heard about this, they set out on their boats to search for Qu Yuan's body.
当老百姓听说此事时,就乘船去寻找屈原的遗体。
They searched long and hard but never found him.
找了很久却无功而返。
To prevent Qu Yuan's body from being eaten by the fishes, the villagers made rice balls wrapped in leaves and dropped these rice balls into the river.
为了防止屈原的遗体被鱼吃掉,村民们用树叶包起饭团扔进河里。
These rice balls became known as zongzi and are still widely eaten during Duanwu Jie today.
这些饭团后来被称为粽子,如今很多人在端午期间仍然会品尝它。
The most common type of zongzi is made from sticky rice filled with meat, mushrooms, and other delicious stuffings.
最常见的粽子是用糯米包上肉、蘑菇和其他美味可口的馅料做成的。
The ingredients are then wrapped in bamboo leaves and tied and hung up with ropes.
然后用竹叶包住,用绳子绑好挂起来。
There are many different types of zongzi - some sweet and some savory - but all equally delicious!
粽子分很多种,有甜的、咸的,但都一样好吃!
Qu Yuan's story is very sad, but it reminds us of the important values in Chinese culture - patriotism, loyalty, and honor.
屈原的故事是个悲剧,但它时刻在提醒我们中国文化中重要的价值观——爱国、忠诚和名誉。
Qu Yuan's story also gave us the wonderful dragon boat races, which in Chinese is known as sai long zhou.
屈原的故事也给我们带来了精彩的龙舟赛,在中文里被称为赛龙舟。
To this day, , families typically gather during Duanwu Jie to eat yummy zongzi, and watch the long zhou races together.
迄今为止,家家户户都在端午节这天聚在一起吃美味的粽子,看赛龙舟。
Often, children will carry "xiang bao", or small bags filled with sweet smelling herbs and powder.
通常孩子们会佩戴“香包”,就是装满闻起来香香的草药和药粉的小袋子。
These xiang bao are not only beautiful and fragrant, they are also believed to help drive away insects and disease!
这些香包不仅漂亮、芳香,而且据说还能驱除蚊虫和疾病!
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