Dragon boat races held in southern China celebrate cultural inheritance

China

Dragon boat races held in southern China celebrate cultural inheritance

2025-05-18 20:27 Last Updated At：21:27

As the Dragon Boat Festival approaches, southern Chinese provinces held dragon boat races to celebrate cultural inheritance and develop people-to-people bonds, attracting participants from across the country and overseas.

The Dragon Boat Festival is one of the major Chinese annual holidays for family gatherings and honoring history, usually in early June.

On Saturday, a lively dragon boat race occurred in the Sanban River of Zhuhai City, south China's Guangdong Province, with 14 teams competing in the spirited event.

This year's races saw a unique addition: the participation of returned overseas Chinese. Now residents of Zhuhai, many of these returnees have become actively involved in community life. For them, the race was not only a custom of the traditional festival but also a powerful symbol of solidarity and shared determination to "row together in the same boat" for prosperous lives and a brighter future.

On the same morning, the city of Xiamen in east China's Fujian Province hosted a Cross-Strait Dragon Boat Race featuring 36 teams from both the Chinese mainland and the Taiwan region. The event, combining intense competition with cross-regional camaraderie, brought together athletes and audience across the Strait to jointly celebrate the upcoming festival.

In addition to the races, a Dragon Boat Festival-themed market was set up in Xiamen's Nandi Park, where visitors could enjoy traditional delicacies and learn more about the history and culture.

In Jiujiang City of east China's Jiangxi Province, a large-scale dragon boat competition was held from Saturday to Sunday, gathering 40 teams across provinces along the Yangtze River Economic Belt. Taking the chance, the event served as a platform to connect cities along the Yangtze River and promote traditional culture and folk customs from across China.

"Though the festival is still a few days away, we can already feel the festive spirit. We hope that through the dragon boat race, we can continue to foster and celebrate the rich cultural traditions of the historical festival," said Hu Junliang, a local audience member.

Music gathering in Guangzhou deepens friendship between Chinese, US teens

A cultural exchange event in Guangzhou saw teenagers from China and the United States gather to promote mutual understanding and friendship through music and other art forms.

Kicking off the new year, young performers from the American One Voice Children's Choir returned to Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, for another visit, engaging in face-to-face cultural exchanges with local youth.

During their time together, the teenagers visited the top of the city's landmark Canton Tower, and joined their voices in heartfelt rendition of the emotionally rich Cantonese classic "Friends."

"I think music is so powerful and creates such a bond between people. I mean, I'm not really understanding the words of this song, but I just know that it's so powerful to everybody and just music can span gaps that words can't always fill," said Cody, a member of One Voice Children's Choir.

Beyond singing, the young visitors also participated in hands-on cultural experiences including calligraphy and handcrafted fans making with their Guangzhou peers, immersing themselves in the charm of Chinese aesthetics and Eastern civilization.

Teenagers from both countries said that this event gave them a deeper understanding for the power of cultural exchange in strengthening China-U.S. friendship. Many primary school students in Guangzhou shared their hope that such activities would be held more frequently.

"We'd like to have more of these China-U.S. exchange activities," said Li Ziyu, a primary school student.

"In areas like music and sports, which have no borders, we can enhance cooperation," said another student, Zhang Bolun.