There are numerous folkloric theories about the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival. To date, at least four or five explanations exist, such as the commemoration of Qu Yuan, the Wu and Yue ethnic totem worship theory, the Summer Solstice Festival theory from the Three Dynasties, and the evil month and day avoidance theory. Among these, the most widely accepted view is that the festival originated to honor Qu Yuan.

Qu Yuan was one of China's greatest patriotic poets, renowned for timeless works like "Li Sao," "Tian Wen," and "Jiu Ge." He served as a minister to King Huai of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period. In 278 BCE, after the capital fell and treacherous officials slandered him, he drowned himself in the Miluo River by clasping a stone, sacrificing his life for his country. People began commemorating him on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Legend has it that after Qu Yuan's drowning, local villagers immediately rowed boats to search for his body, venturing as far as Dongting Lake but never finding it. At the time, it was rainy, and boats gathered by a lakeside pavilion. Upon learning they were searching for the virtuous minister Qu Yuan, the people braved the rain again, racing into the vast Dongting Lake. To express their grief, they rowed on the river, which gradually evolved into dragon boat races. Fearing fish might devour his body, villagers also threw rice balls into the river to distract them, later forming the custom of eating zongzi.

The Dragon Boat Festival is one of China's four major traditional festivals, holding equal significance with the Spring Festival, Qingming, and Mid-Autumn Festival. Rooted in ancient agrarian culture, many Chinese festivals align with natural seasonal changes. As seasons and climate directly impact daily life, different times of the year gave rise to distinct celebrations.

The Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, with the first day called "Duan Yi," the second "Duan Er," and so on until "Duan Wu" (Dragon Boat Festival). On September 30, 2009, UNESCO inscribed the festival as a World Intangible Cultural Heritage, making it China's first holiday to receive this honor.

Qu Yuan, commemorated during the Dragon Boat Festival, was a great patriotic poet whose noble character and profound thoughts—marked by deep concern for his homeland and its people, the courage to explore, and unwavering integrity—have become a moral benchmark for generations of Chinese. Celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival serves to vigorously promote Qu Yuan's patriotic spirit, his heartfelt devotion to his country and its citizens, and his national ethos of "not being corrupted by wealth, not yielding to power, and not being swayed by poverty." The Dragon Boat Festival embodies the outstanding traditional culture of the Chinese nation. As an essential manifestation of intangible cultural heritage, festival culture transcends its material aspects to express a profound spiritual essence. Traditional Chinese festivals represent the distillation of our national culture, the symbol of our collective wisdom, the crystallization of our national spirit, and the epitome of our aesthetic values. Today, preserving traditional Chinese festivals like the Dragon Boat Festival is about passing down our national spirit.

"Culture is the soul of a nation and a people. A thriving culture invigorates the nation, and a strong culture strengthens the people." In the report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping stated, "Without full confidence in our culture, without a rich and prosperous culture, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation will not be possible." From this perspective, celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival and inheriting excellent traditional culture is, in itself, an act of reinforcing cultural confidence.

The outstanding traditional Chinese culture created and perpetuated over thousands of years of Chinese history is the "root" or "soul" of the Chinese nation. Today, as we celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival by making and eating zongzi, these ancient rituals may seem simple, yet it is precisely these enduring details that strengthen national identity and cultural awareness. During this festival, the term "Dragon Boat Festival" has become a vehicle for passing down excellent traditional culture and inspiring patriotic sentiments. It is through these symbolic "roots," one after another, that the dynamic spirit of the Chinese nation transforms into an unending driving force for realizing dreams.