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A dragon boat named "Dawulong" is being repainted.
The "Dawulong", the most ancient dragon boat in Panyu District.
Team members shown preparing themselves for the festival
The first Guangzhou Dragon-boat Culture Festival is to kick off at Shilou Town of Panyu District on May 28th, a day when the Chinese celebrate the traditional Dragon Boat Festival. A total of 116 dragon boats are expected to take part in the festival, including 28 racers with 15 from Hunan, Guizhou and Fujian Provinces as well as others from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The opening ceremony is to be launched at noon on May 28th and the festival will feature traditional dragon boat races with themes such as "Lotus Cup" and "Yushan Cup", both of which are popular in Panyu District, China's first dragon boat racing venue. Pictures showing dragon boat models and examples of folk cultures of the district and a forum on Chinese dragon boat culture will be part of the program.
The festival will witness the re-launch of the renovated 161-year-old dragon boat "Dawulong", the oldest dragon boat in Panyu, built in 1848. However, the "Dawulong" is not expected to compete in the dragon boat racing since it is not a dragon boat built following the standards of modern dragon boats, noted officials that organized the festival.
15 dragon boats from across China will compete at the festival. Various types of dragon boats with decorations and drums of local characteristics will be a highlight of the festival.
Shilou Town hosts the festival and enjoys a particular reputation in dragon boat racing, one that can be traced to the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). Dragon boat racing is so popular in Shilou Town that almost every villager is skilled in it and each dragon boat has its own "God of Protection" much the same as an ancestral hall does.
Editor: Yan
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