Qu Yuan hometown welcomes descendants from Taiwan
2023-06-17 17:06:11
By Tan Maolin, Yichang International Communication Studio
On June 16, a group of 18 descendants of Qu Yuan from Taiwan’s Changhua County visited the Wangusi Village of Zigui, Yichang to worship their common ancestor - Qu Yuan, together with local descendants of Qu.
Qu Yuan (c. 340 BC – 278 BC) is one of ancient China’s greatest romantic poets and politicians.
He was once the Prime Minister of the State of Chu, but was dismissed for calumny. In 278 BC, when Chu was captured by the enemy, he drowned himself in the Miluo River. Author of the famous poems "Li Sao" (Tales of Woe), "Tian Wen" (Heavenly Questions), "Jiu Zhang" (Nine Pieces) and "Jiu Ge" (Nine Tunes), Qu Yuan was named a “World Cultural Celebrity” by UNESCO in 1953.
The villagers welcomed their Taiwan compatriots with the unique etiquette of Qu Yuan's hometown. Rowing dragon boats, wrapping zongzi and singing dragon boat songs allowed the Taiwan compatriots to experience local Qu Yuan culture.
Wangusi Village has the reputation of being "the first village of the Qu Clan in China", with more than 1,300 descendants of Qu living in the village. Thousands of miles away, more than 200 descendants of Qu live in Baobuli, Changhua County, Taiwan. The two groups have been visiting each other since 2010.
Qu Jinquan, a member of the Taiwan Qu descendant group, said it was his third visit to Zigui during the Dragon Boat Festival and that Zigui is a distant “homeland of his heart”. Every time he got off the plane and saw the word "Zigui", he felt close, "like returning to my long-lost hometown."
Qu Tinghui, chairman of the Taiwan Changhua County Qu Yuan Culture Promotion Association, said: "This time we came with a mission and gained a lot." He said that Zigui has done a lot of work in remembering and promoting Qu Yuan. He said the group will bring these practices and experiences back to Taiwan, to develop a suitable local cultural promotion plan for promoting Qu’s cultural legacy.
Sanxia Daily’s Hu Xingjun and CNS’ Guo Xiaoying contributed to this report.
On June 16, a group of 18 descendants of Qu Yuan from Taiwan’s Changhua County visited the Wangusi Village of Zigui, Yichang to worship their common ancestor - Qu Yuan, together with local descendants of Qu.
Qu Yuan (c. 340 BC – 278 BC) is one of ancient China’s greatest romantic poets and politicians.
He was once the Prime Minister of the State of Chu, but was dismissed for calumny. In 278 BC, when Chu was captured by the enemy, he drowned himself in the Miluo River. Author of the famous poems "Li Sao" (Tales of Woe), "Tian Wen" (Heavenly Questions), "Jiu Zhang" (Nine Pieces) and "Jiu Ge" (Nine Tunes), Qu Yuan was named a “World Cultural Celebrity” by UNESCO in 1953.
The villagers welcomed their Taiwan compatriots with the unique etiquette of Qu Yuan's hometown. Rowing dragon boats, wrapping zongzi and singing dragon boat songs allowed the Taiwan compatriots to experience local Qu Yuan culture.
Wangusi Village has the reputation of being "the first village of the Qu Clan in China", with more than 1,300 descendants of Qu living in the village. Thousands of miles away, more than 200 descendants of Qu live in Baobuli, Changhua County, Taiwan. The two groups have been visiting each other since 2010.
Qu Jinquan, a member of the Taiwan Qu descendant group, said it was his third visit to Zigui during the Dragon Boat Festival and that Zigui is a distant “homeland of his heart”. Every time he got off the plane and saw the word "Zigui", he felt close, "like returning to my long-lost hometown."
Qu Tinghui, chairman of the Taiwan Changhua County Qu Yuan Culture Promotion Association, said: "This time we came with a mission and gained a lot." He said that Zigui has done a lot of work in remembering and promoting Qu Yuan. He said the group will bring these practices and experiences back to Taiwan, to develop a suitable local cultural promotion plan for promoting Qu’s cultural legacy.
Sanxia Daily’s Hu Xingjun and CNS’ Guo Xiaoying contributed to this report.
