People's Liberation Army soldiers attend the opening ceremony of the joint training at a military training field in Cambodia's Kampot province, on March 15, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]

 
It is always good to have a holiday when you can relax and visit with family and friends. Thursday marks China’s traditional Dragon Boat Festival, or Duanwu Festival. Among China’s many festivals, this is the only one that remembers a person, the patriotic poet Qu Yuan. 

Qu, a loyal official to his state of Chu during the Warring State Period (475-221 BC), drowned himself in the Miluo River in 278 BC after hearing the news that Chu was defeated. Many Chu people sailed boats on the river in the hope of finding his body – which is now an essential part of the holiday. 

Eating zongzi, a dish made of sticky rice stuffed with beans and other fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves, is one of the most common treats during the festival. From tradition, zongzi is dropped into rivers to feed fish and other water creatures, driving them away from harming Qu’s body. 

Thousands of years after his death, Chinese people still eat zongzi and take part in dragon boat races to commemorate Qu’s sacrifice on the fifth day of the fifth month of China’s lunar calendar. 

This year’s festival has become particularly special since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic as the whole world is fighting against this deadly virus. 

We should be thankful that we can all still have the three-day holiday and spend peaceful and happy times with families. After all, in such difficult times with millions of people like medical staff and volunteers working on the front lines against the coronavirus, a holiday is a luxury, not an entitlement. 

People holding their posts, from police officers to PLA border patrol soldiers, must be remembered and respected during a such a festival designated for patriots just like them. What they are doing and devoting their lives to is the same as Qu did for his state of Chu. 

Following the recent China-India border clash, our brave PLA soldiers should never be forgotten. They are the most lovely people in the country,  deserving our best wishes for them and their families from all the  Chinese citizens. 

I sincerely hope that they can have some scrumptious zongzi during lunch just as the rest of us are.