Dragon Boat Festival boosts culture consumption, tourism across China

China's Dragon Boat Festival celebrations have drawn waves of domestic and foreign tourists, blending traditional customs with modern experiences.

Also known as the Duanwu Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. This year's Dragon Boat Festival falls on Saturday. The holiday is featured by traditional celebrations including dragon boat races and eating zongzi, a glutinous rice dumpling wrapped usually in broad bamboo leaves.

In Bazhong's Enyang District, Sichuan Province in southwest China, the 2025 Chinese Dragon Boat Tournament, the nation's premier dragon boat racing event, returned for the third consecutive year. Held during the festive weekend, the competition has ignited wide public enthusiasm, drawing over 30,000 attendees during its two-day run from Friday to Saturday.

"The on-site competition was thrilling. Watching the teams paddling in perfect unison was inspiring. It really showed the power of teamwork and passion," said Xian Xinlian a spectator.

Beyond the river races, Enyang has activated a multi-layered consumption model integrating sports with food, shopping, and sightseeing. The city is hosting a wide array of themed experiences, from Song Dynasty (960-1279) -style markets and street performances to fireworks and drone shows.

Meanwhile at the Hesilu Village in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, villagers and international visitors carried on a beloved tradition earlier in the day, parading with two massive rice dumplings or zongzi, measuring 168 meters and 120 meters long. As drums roared and crowds cheered, the festive zongzi parade wove through village streets, delighting locals and tourists alike.

"It's very amazing. It's very lovely. It shows how Chinese people are very friendly and we like it so much and this is part of your culture and we love joining you guys in these events. And you guys are so lovely and very nice to us," said a foreign tourist.

After the parade, the giant zongzi were sliced and shared during a communal feast. Villagers and guests enjoyed both sweet and savory variations filled with ingredients like red bean, jujube, and salted egg yolk, distributed by a respected 86-year-old village elder.

This is the fourth year that the village has hosted the Giant Zongzi Festival, with visitor numbers surging to over 5,000 in one day.

Festive activities have also unfolded across other parts of China.

In Jiaxing City of Zhejiang Province, tourists from 15 countries took part in a local zongzi-making competition, experiencing first-hand the charm of traditional festival customs.

In Lanzhou City of northwest China's Gansu Province, a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) hospital has offered herbal sachets, which are historically worn to ward off evil spirits and bring good health during the holiday.

Meanwhile, in Zhongxian County, Chongqing Municipality in southwest China, the spirit of competition reached new heights as 13 national teams competed in a championship-level dragon boat race, drawing crowds and showcasing athletic excellence.

Dragon Boat Festival boosts culture consumption, tourism across China

A major port in northern Venezuela came under U.S. airstrikes in the early hours of January 3, which caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure, destroyed critical medical supplies in a warehouse, and severely impacted centuries-old cultural heritage sites, according to local residents.

The La Guaira Port, a vital hub for imports that support daily life in the region, was heavily damaged during the attack.

Large quantities of medical supplies stored at the port were destroyed. A historic cultural building dating back for some 300 years was also badly damaged by the bombardment.

Residents living near the port recalled the terrifying scenes as explosions shook nearby neighborhoods.

Humberto Bolivar, who lives in a community separated from the port by only a main road, said the blast waves shattered his home's windows, while stray shrapnel struck the water tank on his roof. According to reports, three missiles were fired at the port that night.

Bolivar said that beyond material losses, he is most concerned about the psychological impact on his children, who remain too frightened to leave their home days after the attack.

"The United States invaded our country. The children were frightened. This is not good for them, because it leaves some children with psychological trauma. They do not want to go to school or leave the house, because they are afraid that something worse might happen. We truly do not want this to happen to our country," he said.

Apart from civilian facilities, local cultural heritage site was also affected.

The La Guaira state government building, a structure with nearly 300 years of history and once served as the site of Venezuela's first national customs office, was struck by the force of the explosions.

Windows of the building were shattered, and furniture scattered across the floor.

"As people of La Guaira, we feel deep pain. Our cultural heritage has been bombed. We are living in constant anxiety and suffering, and life can no longer be the same as it was before," said a local named Henry Cumares.

The U.S. side has claimed the airstrikes targeted warehouses allegedly used to store narcotics. However, locals refuted such accusation.

"According to what Donald Trump said, they bombed this place using the excuse that the warehouses here were used to store drugs at the port. But based on the video released by our governor, these warehouses that were burned contained medicine for kidney patients and foods. Many people depend on these supplies to survive. I think the bombing is extremely despicable," said a local resident named Alejandro Capriles.

US strike hits Venezuelan port, wrecking medical supplies, heritage building