Cindy Li ‘s Speech at Dragon Boat Festival
It is my pleasure, to represent, the Chinese Cultural Association, of Saint John, in this the 1st year of the Saint John Dragonboat Festival. We are very proud to be a part of such a great event and to help an organization like St. Joseph’s Hospital.
The Dragonboat Festival originated at the end of the Zhou Dynasty, which was 2,000 years ago, in what we know now as China.
In a time of conflict and upheaval, an outstanding statesman, a patriotic poet and a great educator, named Qu Yuan, who was much loved by the common people, fought against the corruption and decadence of his government. He was feared and envied by many of his peers. When he urged the emperor to adopt right national policies, the emperor, under pressure, removed him from service.
In exile he traveled and taught. Upon hearing of his country’s defeat, in despair, he threw himself into the Miluo River. His last words were this well-known poem…
Many a heavy sigh I have breathed in my despair,
Grieving that I was born in such an unlucky time.
I yoked a team of jade dragons to a phoenix chariot,
And waited for the wind to come,
To carry me on my journey homeGǥ
He was so loved by the people, many fishermen rushed out in long boats beating drums, to scare away fish. They also threw into the water a special food called Zong Zi to feed the fish so that they would not eat Qu Yuan’s body.
The saint John Chinese Cultural Association would like to thank you all for coming today. We hope you enjoy our traditional performances as much as we enjoy sharing them with you.
Official Photo of our donation. Chinese Cultural Association raised and donated total $450 to support the new Women’s Health Center located on the 9 th floor of St. Joseph ‘s Hospital.
We had a lot of fun at the festival
Video clips of the performance presented by Chinese Cultural Association of Saint John
Videos and Photos taken by Xinhai Li, Tao Lu and Jerry Yu