Thrilling dragon boat races spark festivities in China's Guangdong, Chongqing

Thrilling dragon boat races enlivened celebrations in south China's Guangdong Province, as communities across China embrace the spirit of the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival with vibrant competitions and cultural festivities.

In Jieyang City, Guangdong Province, more than 800 paddlers showcased a breathtaking mix of speed, strength, and teamwork as they raced traditional handmade dragon boats along the Deqiao River on Sunday.

"We have a total of 16 dragon boats and 850 paddlers participating in the race. The scale is the largest ever. We hold this event to let more people know about the dragon boat culture in Deqiao Township," said Chen Hongjie, an organizer of the dragon boat race.

Teams performed high-skill maneuvers such as drifting through turns, rapid starts, and sharp U-turns in narrow waterways.

"I came from Guiling Township to watch this race participated by 16 dragon boats. It is indeed an exciting and stunning event," said a spectator.

In Shenzhen City,Guangdong Province, people flocked to Guanlanhe River on Monday to watch an intense dragon boat race. Spectators could also explore a 100-meter-long street market along the river to buy a variety of local cultural products.

In Wushan County, Chongqing Municipality, a dragon boat culture and art week kicked off on Sunday, featuring dragon boat races, dragon dances, drum performances and water show.

Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, traditionally falls on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. It falls on this Saturday this year.

During the festival, people enjoy activities such as dragon boat races and eating Zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) to commemorate the patriotic poet Qu Yuan, who was also a minister of the State of Chu during the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC).

Thrilling dragon boat races spark festivities in China's Guangdong, Chongqing

Liu Haixing, special envoy of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Xi Jinping, visited Laos on Tuesday to congratulate the successful convening of the 12th National Congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and Thongloun Sisoulith on his election as general secretary of the 12th LPRP Central Committee.

Liu, head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, delivered a congratulatory letter from Xi to Thongloun and conveyed a message.

The message stated that China stands ready to work with Laos to advance the continuous development of a China-Laos community with a shared future, guided by the important consensus reached by the top leaders of the two parties and two countries.

Thongloun expressed his sincere appreciation and extended warm greetings to Xi.

He noted that the new central leadership of the LPRP attaches great importance to developing relations with China and is willing to work closely with China to continuously elevate bilateral relations between the two parties and two countries to a higher level.

Xi's special envoy visits Laos