Mainlanders celebrated the Dragon Boat festival as a public holiday yesterday for the first time in more than five decades, but in the birthplace of the centuries-old tradition, festivities were muted.
The festival, also known as Duanwu or Tuen Ng, is said to have derived from activities commemorating the patriotic poet Qu Yuan some 2,300 years ago.
Residents of scenic Yueyang city in Hunan , the poet's hometown, had hoped the return of the traditional festival would bring more tourists.
But events dampened the festive atmosphere.
The earthquake in neighbouring Sichuan province , persistent bad weather in southern China and the nationwide high-school examinations kept people away from Yueyang.
The Olympic torch relay, which passed through the city last week, also forced officials to hold the boat races five days early.