Artwork: Qu Yuan

Qu Yuan (c. 340-278 B.C.) was the first great poet in Chinese history. He lived during the Warring States period (a time when China was divided into several warring kingdoms) and was a high-ranking official in the state of Chu. At that time his homeland was under siege by another powerful state called Qin. The king of Chu did not recognize Qu Yuan’s correct stance or appreciate his suggestions for saving their country. What's more, treacherous officials slandered him, and at last he was sent into exile. While in exile, he wrote his most famous poem “Li Sao” ("Encountering Sorrow").

One of the greatest poets of ancient China, he exerted enormous influence on later poets with his highly original verse. On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, when he heard news that the capital of Chu had fallen into enemy hands, he threw himself into the Miluo River (in present-day Hunan province) and drowned. According to the Chinese traditional calendar, Duanwu jíe — known in English as the Dragon Boat Festival — takes place in his honour on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.