The 11th UK Chinese Dragon Boat Festival, featuring races and performances, kicked off at Salford Quays in Greater Manchester on Sunday, showcasing rich traditional Chinese culture and fostering people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
Chinese Ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang, Consul General of China's Consulate-General in Manchester Tang Rui, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester and Mayor of Salford Paul Dennett, along with nearly 10,000 participants, including overseas Chinese, students, representatives from Chinese enterprises, and local residents, attended the event.
A total of 49 teams participated in the dragon boat race, including the renowned Cambridge University team.
Originating in China thousands of years ago, the dragon boat race is one of many traditions celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival, which commemorates the Chinese patriotic poet Qu Yuan (about 340-278 BC) on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month of the Chinese calendar.
The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as the Duanwu Festival, falls on May 31 this year.
"This is the annual Chinese dragon boat race and I think this is the 11th time this has happened in our city of Salford and this dragon boat race is the largest in Europe celebrating Chinese tradition, culture, and heritage," Dennett said.
"Well, I just thought it was about bringing people together and supporting Chinese culture but also bringing people together and recognizing the influences for Chinese people in Manchester," said a participant of the dragon boat race.
In addition to the dragon boat race, the organizers arranged a vibrant array of performances highlighting traditional Chinese culture, including martial arts, dragon and lion dances, and Qin Opera.
UK Chinese Dragon Boat Festival kicks off in Manchester with vibrant races, performances
The Chinese Consulate General in Istanbul has assisted a group of tourists from the Taiwan region to return home, after they were stranded in Türkiye due to the escalating tensions in the Middle East.
After being stranded for about five days, the 93 Taiwan compatriots started to board China Eastern Airlines’ flights to Shanghai in batches.
This group of Taiwan compatriots were from three Middle Eastern tour groups arranged by the same travel agency in Taiwan.
They had originally planned to return to Taipei via Abu Dhabi, UAE, after their Istanbul trip. However, following the US-Israel military strikes against Iran on Feb 28, many Middle Eastern countries closed their airspace, leading to the cancellation of numerous flights.
"To be honest, I've never encountered this situation in my entire life," said one of the Taiwan compatriots.
"My teacher kept calling to ask when I'd be back because I was constantly revising my leave application, they thought I was missing," said another.
During their stay, the group members changed their tickets at least four times, but the flight schedules all showed indefinite delays, causing them great anxiety.
"In the past few days, we've seen news from the mainland saying they can help us by sending planes to expedite our return," said another tourist from Taiwan.
"These Taiwan compatriots contacted our Consulate General in Istanbul through the consular protection hotline. Our consulate leadership attached great importance to this situation and immediately coordinated with relevant domestic departments, including immigration and border control, as well as airlines, to coordinate getting them on board," said Sui Kaige, director of Consular Affairs Section at the Chinese Consulate General in Istanbul.
"We also provide Taiwan compatriots with assurances on flight seats to meet their needs," said Li Ge, general manager of China Eastern Airlines' Istanbul office.
Chinese Consulate General in Istanbul assists stranded Taiwan compatriots to return home
