On May 29, the Second Rural Dragon Boat Invitational Tournament in Maonan District, Maoming City, Guangdong Province, was held. A total of 25 dragon boat teams from eight Chinese cities and regions, including Maoming, Guangzhou, Foshan, and Zhuhai, as well as from Russia, fiercely competed on the Lindao section of the Meihua River. More than 10,000 spectators gathered at the scene to cheer for the participants.
At 8:30 a.m., the opening ceremony began with a performance of Maonan Hongquan (a type of Chinese Kung Fu). Following traditional customs, the race officially started after the dragon boat eye-dotting ceremony.
As the starting gun fired, the participants shouted in unison and paddled vigorously, creating splashes on the river. The drummers beat the drums powerfully and rhythmically, while the steersmen focused intently on controlling the direction.
After the preliminary and semi-final rounds, the Foshan Xingtan General Chamber of Commerce Dragon Boat Team won the championship, with the Yangjiang Bohe Team and the Tangzha Team from Aotou Town taking second and third places, respectively. It is known that dragon boat racing is a time-honored folk activity in China, dating back to the Warring States period, originally held to commemorate Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet. Nowadays, it has developed into a widely popular sports competition. The Aotou dragon boat race has a history of one hundred years and has been passed down.
At the event site, there were also dragon boat culture exhibitions and intangible cultural heritage handicraft experience activities. Spectators tasted special dragon boat meal during the event.
Reporter: Yan Zhixiong, Su Siming
Photo: Su Siming, Zhang Pengfei
Editor: Huang Qini, James, Shen He
