Themed activities held across China to celebrate Dragon Boat Festival

China

Themed activities held across China to celebrate Dragon Boat Festival

2025-06-02 11:04 Last Updated At：23:57

A rich array of cultural activities has been held across China to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, such as the iconic dragon boat races, making zongzi, and art performances.

The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, is a traditional Chinese holiday to commemorate ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan from the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.). Celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, the festival falls on May 31 this year.

In Jiangmen City of south China's Guangdong Province, a dragon boat race involving 36 teams from around the world was held on Saturday, packing the banks of the local Tanjiang River with spectators.

A wetland park in Nanling County of east China's Anhui Province has also hosted an exhilarating 500m straight dragon boat race during the three-day holiday ending Monday, attracting a lot of visitors to the park.

In Changsha, capital city of central China's Hunan Province, a fun race using inflatable "land dragon boats" was held on Sunday at the Daze Lake Wetland Park, engaging many visitors in the activity and creating a lively atmosphere with cheerful laughters at the park.

The park has also set up an interactive game area and a cultural fair, where visitors can play doucao games, make lacquer fans, and learn how to wrap zongzi, a traditional food of the Duanwu Festival made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings.

In Shijiazhuang, capital city of north China's Hebei Province, various dancing performances, such as dragon dances and lion dances, have been staged at the Zhengding ancient city during the holiday, presenting a lively feast for the eyes of the visitors.

"I think this show provides us the opportunity to learn about the history of the Zhengding ancient city as well as the outstanding traditional Chinese culture. The performances are all amazing and beautiful," said a visitor.

Xinjiang shepherds step up summer disease-prevention measures

Shepherds in Nileke County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, are dipping more than 800,000 sheep this summer to curb parasites and strengthen disease resistance.

As temperatures rise, parasites spread quickly among livestock, heightening the risk of illness.

The sheep dipping campaign combines orderly herder participation with professional oversight to ensure thorough treatment across the county.

"After dipping, the sheep are less likely to develop parasites or get rotten wool or skin. They grow faster and stronger, and when it's time to sell them, their quality is better and they fetch higher prices. With professional disease-prevention personnel coming to provide guidance, the process is both standardized and hassle-free," said a local shepherd. Local authorities prepared early, deploying professional staff to villages to provide technical support. Forty percent of the work is complete, with full coverage expected in the second half of June.