Plaque showing Dragon Boat festival, one of a pair

清朝乾楺年制琺瑯端午猃恳緡掛壁屏

On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the Chinese race dragon boats to commemorate the death of the patriot and poet Qu Yuan. He drowned himself on this day around 288 BCE as a protest against the decadent court, which collapsed consequently.

The dragon boats shown in these plaques are fancier than most. They bear tall structures inside the boats. Young acrobats demonstrate their skills on the heads of dragons. Inside pavilions, spectators, protected from the sun, watch the exciting scene from the shore.