Thousands of years of dragon boat tradition

WUHAN, China, June 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- This is a news report from China Daily: The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as the Duanwu Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month and commemorates Qu Yuan, an ancient Chinese poet. People celebrate it with dragon boat races, zongzi (glutinous rice dumplings), and customs said to fend off diseases and bring good luck. In 2009, the festival was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

In Zigui, Hubei — the hometown of Qu Yuan — dragon boat racing has been celebrated for more than two thousand years. Every traditional wooden dragon boat is handcrafted by experienced craftsmen, safeguarding craftsmanship handed down from generation to generation. To the thunder of beating drums, rowers surge toward the finish line to grab the red flag, the emblem of victory.

Here, dragon boat racing is far more than a contest; it is a living cultural tradition deeply embedded in local daily life.

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SOURCE China Daily