On June 22, the 2024 Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (Dongguan) Dragon Boat Invitational Race and Dragon Boat Carnival kicked off in Dongguan City's Machong Town. 59 top dragon boat teams from the Greater Bay Area and around the world gathered at the Huayang Lake National Wetland Park in Machong to compete for the title of “Greater Bay Area Dragon King”, concluding the longest dragon boat festival season in China.
This year's Dongguan Dragon Boat Month featured high-level, high-standard, and diverse events. The two-day competition included various team categories, race courses, and stages from preliminary heats to semifinals, showcasing the professionalism of this dragon boat festival.
The Huayang Lake provided an ideal national-level dragon boat racing venue. These excellent hosting conditions supported a new racing format - the use of 8 racing lanes, a first for the entire country, making it the most prestigious event in the Greater Bay Area's dragon boat season this year.
In terms of participants, this race attracted dragon boat enthusiasts and athletes from home and abroad.
Participants from the Greater Bay Area were especially enthusiastic, demonstrating the unity of the citizens in the region. The Greater Bay Area Open Mixed category saw the gathering of 32 traditional powerhouse teams from Hong Kong, Macao, and cities such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, and Zhaoqing.
A special team also joined the competition - the visually impaired "Black Warriors" dragon boat team from Hong Kong. They overcame physical and psychological barriers to compete alongside the Greater Bay Area's top teams.
The Greater Bay Area Village Men's "Dragon King Cup" category brought together 16 elite village teams from across the region, passionately paddling for the honor of their hometowns, showcasing the traditional character and accessibility of dragon boat racing.
The International Open Mixed category featured dragon boat enthusiasts from around the world, including strong teams like "Soaring Dragons", the Russian Ural International Dragon Boat Team, the British Tidal Waves International Dragon Boat Team, and the Belarusian Blacksmiths MoveForward International Dragon Boat Team. Their participation added an international flair to the event and demonstrated the broad global influence of the traditional Chinese sport of dragon boat racing.
Reporter: Xie Maishi
Photo: Nanfang Plus, Dongguan Plus, Dongguan TV
