端午节 Dumpling Festival (tomorrow 19June)

Thanks to 屈原 (*Qu Yuan)
we have dumplings to eat!

I bought 4 from the market at the cut-throat price of S$2.50 each!

Picture showing only 3 because 1 is in my stomach!

I think normally they are only S$1.50 each
I thought I would get some for my Mum and myself since it is the festival, so the 奸商(evil merchant) got my business hehe.......



*the story about Qu Yuan and the glutinous rice

During the Warring States Period (453BC to 221BC) of the Zhou Dynasty (1134BC to 256BC) in 299BC, Ying Ji, the ruler of the State of Qin invited Xiong Huai, the ruler of the State of Chu, for a conference in Qin.

Qu Yuan advised Xiong Huainot to go, but Xiong Lan, the youngest son of Xiong Huai, encouraged his father to go. Xiong Huai listened to his son and went to Qin. As Soon as Xiong Huai entered Wu Guan he was arrested by the Qin troops. XiongHuai died of anguish in incarceration in Qin. Xiong Heng, the elder brother of Xiong Lan, became the new ruler ofChu.

Qu Yuan criticised Xiong Lan for advising his father to attend the conference. Xiong Lan was ashamed of himself, but he would not tolerate Qu Yuan's criticism. So he manipulated to have Qu Yuan dismissed from his job and bannished to his hometown which was near the river of Mi Luo.

Qu Yuan was very depressed and often wandered around the banks ofthe Mi Luo River, pouring forth his soul in verses. Qu Yuan had an elder sister by the name of Qu Xu who was marriedand lived far away. On hearing of her younger brother being dismissed bythe Chu Court Qu Xu returned home to see Qu Yuan. She was sad to see herbrother so thin and haggard. She advised Qu Yuan to forget about politics and till the land and live an ordinary life. Qu Yuan agreed with his sister and began to plant rice. The type of ricehe planted was called Yu Mi (or jade rice). Having seen her brotherhad finally settled down Qu Xu returned to her husband.

Qu Yuan was still in despair and sadness overwhelmed him. One day he tied a big rock to his body, jumped into the river and disappeared immediately. People living along the banks of Mi Luo River heard of his disappearancein the river. They rushed out to the river with their boats to try torescue him. He could not be found. Neither could his body. Fearing that the fish might devour his body, people harvested the Yu Mi from his field and used them to make them into dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves and threw them into the river with the hope that the fish would devour the wrapped dumplings instead of his body. Yu Mi was later renamed as glutinous rice (Nuo Mi). Wrapped glutinous rice dumpling was later called Zong Zi. That is how people nowadays only use glutinous rice to make Zong Zi.

Qu Yuan's hometown was named Zi Gui which meant elder sister returned home, in honour of Qu Yuan's elder sister Qu Xu returning home to see him. This episode happened before the construction of the Great Wall.

(story taken from http://www.asiawind.com/pub/forum/fhakka/mhonarc/msg01591.html)


edit: fifi said qu yuan was gay worr... dunno got bluff me or not... wiki also nvr say =p

edit no.2: this is what fifi said

"read the history of chinese literature loh.......esp his ci..... quite famous...though no books or records blatantly state he is gay, but many critics and analysts had deduced so........ the gay may not be the ass-farking broken wrist gays we have nowadays, but obvious affection towards another male, which is, rumoured to be the king, that is seen in his literary works and writings....

so everytime u eat a bazhang, pls think of gays k!"

这是盐重人参公鸡~?！挖哈哈哈。。。！

is the following written by qu yuan? i forgot liao heehee, wished Dad were around!

"怒发冲冠，凭栏处，潇潇雨歇。抬望眼，仰天长啸，壮怀激烈。三十功名尘与土，八千里路云和月。莫等闲,白了少年头，空悲切。 靖康耻，犹未雪。臣子恨，何时灭？驾长车踏破贺兰山阙。壮志饥餐胡虏肉，笑谈渴饮匈奴血。待从头,收拾旧山河，朝天阙."

i just googled, wrong liao wrong liao, this is 岳飞 挖哈哈哈。。。！ >.<