The tradition of eating zongzi (sticky rice parcels) during the Dragon Boat Festival is still very much alive. The festival is held to honour Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet who threw himself into a river 2000 years ago, when he heard the kingdom of Chu had been conquered. To protect Qu Wan’s body from being eaten by fish, people threw rice-wrapped parcels into the river while boats tried to retrieve the body of the beloved poet.The tradition of eating zongzi (sticky rice parcels) during the Dragon Boat Festival is still very much alive. The festival is held to honour Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet who threw himself into a river 2000 years ago, when he heard the kingdom of Chu had been conquered. To protect Qu Wan’s body from being eaten by fish, people threw rice-wrapped parcels into the river while boats tried to retrieve the body of the beloved poet.