Qu Yuan ~ Poet, Statesman and Ideologist!

Situated on the banks of the mighty Yangtze River, at Xiangjiaping, 1.5km from Guizhou Town, Zigui County in Hubei Province, stands this impressive memorial and shrine to the famous poet, statesman and Ideologist. "Qu Yuan [Chu Yuan ] (circa 340-278 b.c.e.), the chief poet in the Songs of Chu, was a member of the ruling house, a statesman and diplomat. In his youth, he had a brilliant official career and was made a court minister and at one time the Chu envoy to Chi (in Shantung), a great neighbouring state. But Chu Yuan's comet-like success incurred the jealousy of his fellow ministers, who slandered and intrigued against him in the court. As a consequence, Qu Yuan lost the king's favour and was dismissed from office.

Qu Yuan Statue by drs2biz!

There were several ups and downs in his career - after each banishment he was recalled to court, only to be again rebuffed and disgraced. In the meantime, his country was in danger.

Failing to heed Qu Yuan's advice, the king of Chu foolishly went to a conference with the king of Qin (in Shensi), the most powerful military state in that period. He was held there by the Qin army and died in captivity. His son, the new king, instead of avenging his father's death, made a humiliating peace with his enemy. This, however, did not deter the Qin's aggressive designs against Chu, and Qu Yuan, who had started his exile as a result of his political failure, lived long enough to see the capital of his state plundered and ruined by the conquering army of Qin in 278 b.c.e.

At that time, Qu Yuan was already an old man of over sixty, and the fall of the Chu capital was the last straw to his patriotic hope. He does not seem to have long survived his disaster, for the next we hear of him is that he had drowned himself in the river Mi-lo.

Tradition says that his death occurred on the fifth day of the fifth moon (month). Ever since, the day is celebrated as the Day of Dragon Boat Festival to commemorate his drowning.

As the first known and recorded great poet in China, Qu Yuan has been called the father of Chinese poetry and has become, in the opinion of many, a national cultural hero."

-- From Liu Wu-chi, "An Introduction to Chinese Literature", Indiana University Press --