Dragon Boat FestivaL Cpmes Again!

Happy Dragon Boat Festival!  Today in #China we are celebrating the Duanwu #端午 festival!  It’s been a Holiday here for more than 2000 years!

It celebrates the Famous #poet #quyuan. Devoted to #China 🇨🇳, he wrote beautiful poems about its history, nature, and people. When the invading Qin armies approached, he chose to drown himself rather than see his beloved country fall.  Although they sent out many #dragon boats to look for him, they could not save him in time. 
 So to commemorate his memory, every year they eat  #粽子 (aka Zongzi), a sticky #rice #treat wrapped in banana leaves. And the big cities send out Dragon #boats for big battles and races on the lakes and rivers! Cool!

Whistling Through the Vines

Gongyi is home to the Kang Family Mansion – a Ming Dynasty mansion still preserved centuries later. Also called the KangBaiWan Mansion 河南巩义康百万庄园. It is #10 on China’s list of famous mansions!  A truly beautiful place filled with all sorts of ancient buildings and gardens. At one time, he was apparently the wealthiest businessman in China. The family was famous be being good and virtuous, so much so that the emperor wrote them a poem just for them after 8 generations of wise and honorable leaders in a row.  Wish I could have met them!