College students race dragon boats ahead of the Duanwu Festival in Huainan, Anhui Province, June 21, 2023. /CFP
The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, which falls on June 22 this year.
With a history of more than 2,000 years, it was the first festival in China to be named on the world intangible cultural heritage list and is a day to commemorate poet Qu Yuan (about 340-278 BC).
Dragon boat racing, one of many traditions associated with the festival, has witnessed growing popularity among the public in recognition of its cultural significance as well as spirit of competition.
Paddlers compete in a dragon boat race in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, June 21, 2023. /CFP
Dragon boats are typically decorated with Chinese dragon heads at the front of the boats and tails at the back. There are usually eight to 20 paddlers sitting in pairs on a boat, along with a steersperson navigating the boat near the dragon tail and a drummer beating the rhythm against the head.
"The dragon boat is originated from the worship to the nature, tools and totem in the Chinese traditional culture. Especially in the regions along the river, people's lives were mainly on the boat. So with the worship to boat and dragon, there came the dragon boat," Professor Song Junhua, director of the Institute of Intangible Cultural Heritage at Sun Yat-sen University in south China's Guangdong Province, explained.
Dragon boats cruise the river to celebrate the Duanwu Festival in Wenzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, June 21, 2023. /CFP
It may look simple with one single movement, but mastering the sport requires extensive practice. With a combination of techniques used in rowing and kayaking, dragon boat racing is highly dependent on teamwork – every racer has to coordinate with each other in paddle frequency, speed as well as distance.
Nowadays, amateur racers celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival for fun and professionals train on a more regular basis across China. Dragon boat clubs have also mushroomed in colleges and universities in recent years, with students hoping that China will soon have prestigious annual dragon boat races just like the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, dating back to 1829.
Li Haibing, the main coach of the dragon boat club with Wuhan University in central China's Hubei Province, said the "dragon boat race is a competition of skills, physical fitness, but more about teamwork and willpower."
Contestants compete during the 2023 UK Chinese Dragon Boat Festival in Salford, Britain, June 17, 2023. /Xinhua
Meanwhile, the sport is widely practiced in more than 90 countries and regions around the world, boosting exchanges between China and other countries.
A professional competition was held at Salford Quays in Greater Manchester in the UK last weekend, with over 10 clubs taking part in the contest, attracting to up to 40 amateur teams of students, companies and local social entities.
"I got into dragon boat racing in 2008. Thoroughly enjoyed it. And I'm still here ... The camaraderie of a dragon boat race is second to none," Neil Pickles, chair of the British Dragon Boat Racing Association said.
Dragon boat races are held to celebrate the Duanwu Festival in the Chinese capital Beijing, June 20, 2023. /CFP
Dragon boat racing became a formal Asian Games sport for the first time in Guangzhou 2010. The Hangzhou 2022 will be staged at the newly constructed Wenzhou Dragon Boat Sports Center in east China's Zhejiang Province later this year, with six gold medals up for grabs.
(With input from Xinhua)