Has the Dragon Boat Festival lost its meaning?

As one of the most important traditional Chinese festivals, Duan Wu (端午节), also known as the Dragon Boat Festival, has been celebrated for thousands of years with people eating zongzi and racing in dragon boats.

However, even traditional festivals have to change with the times, and no place in China is moving forward as quickly as Shanghai. Can local traditions keep up?

We hit the streets to find out what the festival means to today’s Shanghai residents.

CNNGo: What does the Dragon Boat Festival mean to you?
Li Ming: It means going back home and eating freshly-made zongzi. The zongzi back home are all wrapped in reed leaves picked directly from the river. They're more delicious than the ones in Shanghai.

CNNGo: What's your favorite type of zongzi?
Li Ming: Pork.

CNNGo: Are dragon boat races still important for the festival?
Li Ming: They are pretty important. When the Dragon Boat Festival is mentioned, [people still think] it’s about eating zongzi and racing dragon boats. I once saw the live dragon boat race in Fujian. It was fun and bustling. Everyone had a good time.

CNNGo: What are new Dragon Boat Festival customs?
Li Ming: Sending good wishes to friends and family via text message.

CNNGo: What comes to mind when you think of the Dragon Boat Festival?
Wang Heng: Zongzi because eating zongzi is the most symbolic custom in China for Dragon Boat Festival.

CNNGo: What's your favorite kind of zongzi?
Wang Heng: Pork with egg yolk because I can make this kind of zongzi by myself. All I need to do is to get ingredients like sticky rice and pork in the wet market. I can also adjust the flavor to my taste. [People] can actually make very delicious zongzi by themselves.

CNNGo: Does your hometown still host dragon boat races?
Wang Heng: Yes, but only as a performance show to improve the atmosphere.

CNNGo: What’s the festival’s true meaning to you?
Wang Heng: Taking short trips and eating zongzi. By the way, the price of zongzi is getting higher and higher while its taste is going the other way.