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Dragon Boat Festival to go ahead in Beijing

China's Dragon Boat Festival will be celebrated in Beijing with vibrant boat races this May, it has been reported.

The festival, which is called Duanwu, commemorates the death of the poet Qu Yuan, who lived as a courtier in the court of the Chou Dynasty.

According to the legend, one day he was thrown into the sea by a corrupt and evil official. Local fishermen responded by setting off on their boats, where they trawled the waters to find him.

Although they couldn't locate him, they threw rice dumplings into the sea, while hitting the water with their paddles to prevent the poet's body being eaten by piranhas.

A key part of the festival's activities is the eating of zongzi - pyramid-shaped dumpling which are made of rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves.

Vibrant dragon boat races will take place on the nearby lakes of Qinglong and Houhai.

The Dragon Boat festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.

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