Flippery Flip Flap Flop…

The Man And The Myth

Born in 340 BC, Qu-Yuan lived in the turbulent period of the Zhou Dynasty. Qu-Yuan was the first man officially recorded in Chinese history as a poet and scholar. His contribution to Chinese literature is the Chu Ci, or Elegies of Chu, a compilation of poems. Another famous work of his is the poetic work known as the "Heavenly Questions", a series of 170 questions that both guided the reader and asked questions regarding creation, the universe, historical events and legends important to the Chinese pantheon. The Heavenly Question were said to have been carved in stone on the ancestral halls of noble and former kings in the state of Chu. Copies of it survive today, and have been translated to English, though the original flavour of terse, tightly constructed verse is lost. Certainly, a full understanding of Chinese is required to fully enjoy this literary work.

Qu-Yuan: The Righteous Poet

Part story and fantastic myth, Qu-Yuan’s deeds and actions are commemorated by Chinese communities around the world. According to history, Qu-Yuan lived in a province of China known as the Chu province (now known as Hubei province in modern China). Qu-Yuan was selected as a Minister of Laws and Ordinances by the King of Chu, Mei Huai. Before China was unified under one emperor, rulers of the various provinces called themselves kings.  Qu-Yuan was responsible for drafting all the laws in the state of Chu.

During this turbulent period of history, the three major kingdoms were the Chu, Qi and Qin. All of them vied to conquer the others and rule all of China. At that time, the Qi kingdom was asked to be an ally of the Chu kingdom. The King of Qin was aware of this, and tool steps to ensure that did not happen.

The Betrayal

The Qin kingdom sent their ambassador with an order: break the alliance and Qin would offer Chu 600 square miles of land. Struck senseless by greed, the King of Chu broken his ties with Qi. However, the Qin reneged on the deal and only offered six square miles instead. The King of Chu was furious and declare war. A bloody conflict ensued.

The following year, at a stalemate, the Qin negotiated with the Chu and were offered a piece of land called Han-Zhong. The King of Chu refused, and instead asked for the head of Qin ambassador. The Qin ambassador did come to Chu, but through wiles, bribery and guile persuaded the Chi minister Jin-Shang to set him free.

For the duration of this conflict, Qu-Yuan was still an ambassador to Qi. He returned, and advised the King of Chu to kill the perfidious ambassador but he was too late. The ambassador had already left the province. In 299 BC, the King of Qin province invited the King of Chu for a conference in Wu Guan, the capital of today’s Shaanxi [province. The King of Qin proposed ties of marriage to strengthen diplomatic relations with the Chu and to attend the conference.

Qu-Yuan warned against such treachery and lies. Qu-Yuan was disliked by the chief eunuch of Chu, one Zhan Shang. Zhan Shang spoke slander into the ears of the king, vilifying Qu-Yuan. The King of Chu became furious and demoted Qu-Yuan to become a common clerk. he King of Chu ignored Qu-Yuan’s advice and went to the conference, urged on by his son and minister.

After that conference, the King of Chu was captured by the King of Qin. He fell into the trap and died. Qu-Yuan criticised the king’s son for telling his father to meet the King of Qin. The king’s son was ashamed and angered at his criticism, and sent Qu-Yuan into exile.

After Qu-Yuan exile, the state of Chu went into terminal decline. The capital was sacked in 278BC and later became a vassal state under the forces of Qin, resulting in China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang.

Rivers Of Sorrows

During his exile, Qu-Yuan composed the Li Sao, an allegorical work about himself seeking an understanding ruler. His poem and other works would influence scholars for many centuries to come. In time, he felt sorrow. He saw corruption festering within his beloved country and yet he was punished for being loyal.

Full of despair, he tied himself to a rock and flung himself into the Mi Luo river. People living along the banks of the river heard of his disappearance and rushed out in boats to try and rescue him.

No matter how hard they tried, they could not find him or his remains. Afraid that fish would devour his body, the villagers made glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves and threw them into the water. They hoped the fish would eat the dumplings instead of his remains. In addition, they used dragon-headed boats and beat drums to try and scare the fishes away.

Qu-Yuan disappeared on the 5th day of the 5th months in the Chinese lunar calendar. And this has evolved into today’s tradition of wrapping dumplings to eat, and racing dragon boats. So, bear a thought for Qu-Yuan, the poet and brave patriot, next time you savour a delicious rice dumpling.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 30th, 2007 at 2:40 am and is filed under Culture and Tradition. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.