The 2025 Chinese Dragon Boat Tournament, the nation's premier dragon boat racing event, kicked off its first stop at the Enyang Dragon Boat Park in Bazhong City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Friday.
As one of the traditional customs of the Dragon Boat Festival, this year's race has attracted 48 teams and approximately 1,100 athletes from across the country. Friday's schedule features preliminary heats across various categories, while Saturday - the day of the Dragon Boat Festival - will see all the finals take place.
This year's competition features seven categories: Professional Men, Professional Women, Elite Open, Youth Men, Young Men, Young Women, Special U16 for Children's Day, and Local Teams. Races will be held in 100-meter, 200-meter, and 500-meter straight courses, as well as a 1,000-meter out-and-back course.
The Chinese Dragon Boat Tournament is recognized as the country's highest-level, most competitive, and most influential dragon boat racing event. With 14 years of experience and nearly 60 events held to date, it has grown into a major sports brand with international recognition, showcasing an original Chinese sporting event on the global stage.
China's top dragon boat race opens in Sichuan for 2025 Season
Thousands of Lebanese people are heading back to their homes in south Lebanon after a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel took effect on Friday, despite warnings against their return.
Both the Lebanese military and the Israel Defense Forces have warned them not to rush back home, as Israeli troops have not withdrawn. Yet, thousands are on their way, celebrating what could be a fragile ceasefire as a sign of victory.
"No matter how much the enemy kills and destroys, you see the people's will. From midnight till morning and for days to come, our people insist (on staying in their land)," said Hussein Jishi, a member of the Lebanese Parliament representing Hezbollah.
Rabab Abou-Khalil, a displaced southern Lebanon resident, stood along the roadside to greet returning Lebanese, along with her sisters. They held pictures of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Hezbollah's secretary general Hassan Nasrallah.
"I'm proud that my 11 family members got martyred for this. I raise my head high in pride that our houses were demolished as a sacrifice to push the enemy away. My cousins, my husband, and my children got killed, and I still have two more, whom I am ready to sacrifice in defense of the Islamic resistance," she said.
For many returnees, the way home was blocked by a destroyed bridge, which was bombed on Thursday to prevent residents from returning. However, the road was cleared when the Lebanese military created a mud path for vehicles to cross in just a few hours.
As people head back to evacuated villages, they are seeing the scale of destruction for the first time, but it has not changed their feelings about their home.
"My neighborhood has not changed. Even if it's destroyed, it remains the same here in my heart. It's engraved there. We are a nation undefeatable. If we are martyred, we win," said Nassif Nazagh, a resident in Srifa.
In Jouaiyya, another southern municipality, the scenes of mass rubble look no different than those in Srifa, yet they tell another unique story.
"There was a morgue here, and in it were about 30 bodies of our martyrs. This was a usual strike, where they harm us. There was nothing here. Three of my colleagues were working there, and the fighter jet struck them. This makes us more persistent and stronger. It shows that we are on the right path," said Hadi Qassim, a first responder for the Islamic Health Society Jouaiyya.
Thousands return to southern Lebanon despite warnings amid fragile ceasefire
