Dragon Boat Festival (Tuen Ng)
It is said that the national hero Qu Yuan drowned himself over 2,000 years ago in protest against a corrupt government. Legend has it that while people tried to rescue him, they beat drums to scare the fish away and stop them from eating his body. In these enlightened times (and thanks to a few decades of intervention from Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption) such dramatic protests are no longer necessary and this event is purely a festival. To symbolize the ancient rescue attempts, elaborately decorated dragon boats race to the beat of loud drums. International dragon-boat races with competing national teams are held the week following the festival.