Dragon boat racers glide to victory on frozen waters of northeast China

Sixteen dragon boat teams from across China converged on an icy surface in Jinzhou City, northeast China's Liaoning Province on Monday, showcasing speed and passion in a new sport known as ice dragon boat racing. 

While dragon boat racing is a Chinese tradition that dates back centuries, putting the boats on ice is a modern innovation in the sporting world. Nonetheless, races retain the core elements of tradition, including the dragon heads and tails on the boats as well as the beating of the drums that keep racing teams synchronized. The bottoms of the boats are fitted with ice blades to let the craft glide across the ice.

"We started to popularize this sport in 2016. We have over 60 teams across the city, and we've got a growing age span among participants, from teenagers to people in their 70s," said Cai Xing, deputy director of Jinzhou Sports Service Center. 

In place of paddles, the racers propel the boat with poles equipped with sharp ends that pierce and grip the ice. Though the sport is quite young, these poles are already being made with safety in mind.

"Firstly, this ice pole is designed to protect the racers. By pressing it on the ground, the tips will be exposed. The design can protect the racers while effectively creating friction on the surface of the ice," said racer Zhao Jinghe. 

With the ice surface gleaming like a mirror, the dragon boats glide swiftly, allowing participants to experience the thrill of lightning speed, especially during the final sprint. 

"The joy of it is that all our racers have a tacit understanding, and we have all formed deep friendships," said Zhang Liang, a cadence drummer. 

Locals in Jinzhou have also developed newer variations of ice dragon boating, such as ice dragon boat drifting and ice dragon boat tug-of-war. 

Dragon boat racers glide to victory on frozen waters of northeast China

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that the "Pentagon is lying" about the cost of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran launched on February 28.

In a post on X, Araghchi said that "Netanyahu's gamble has directly cost America 100 billion U.S. dollars so far, four times what is claimed."

"Indirect costs for U.S. taxpayers are far higher. Monthly bill for each American household is 500 U.S. dollars and rising fast," he added.

Citing three people familiar with the matter, CNN reported on Friday that the 25-billion-U.S.-dollar estimate "that a top Pentagon official gave to lawmakers on Wednesday for the total cost to date of the Iran war is a lowball figure," which "does not include the cost of repairing extensive damage suffered by U.S. bases in the region."

One source said the real cost estimate is closer to 40-50 billion U.S. dollars "when accounting for the costs of rebuilding U.S. military installations and replacing destroyed assets."

Iranian FM says 'Pentagon is lying' about cost of US-Israel war on Iran