Five-person dragon boat race opens in Guangdong

A five-person dragon boat marathon opened in Foshan City, south China's Guangdong Province on Saturday, with more than 100 teams from across the Pearl River Delta battling on an intense 22km water course.

Upon hearing the starting gun, members of 111 teams rushed towards their respective boats, and then boarded and rowed their boats to cross the river and rush into a water gate, marking the start of the largest five-person dragon boat race in the Greater Bay Area this year.

"The biggest challenge lies in our physical strength and mental state, as we can't afford to slack off and have to keep moving forward in the 22km stretch," said Cen Haitian, a racer.

After entering the water gate, racers had to cooperate well with their team members to get through nearly 20 consecutive turns of various sizes, during which they need to control the boat's direction, and go into the curve at the best angle so that they can leave it as quickly as possible.

"It's the first time I've heard of a dragon boat race stretching over 20 kilometers one way. So my friend and I came to the scene from Macao very early in the morning to experience this passionate and energetic atmosphere together with others," said Choi Hin Kei, a tourist from Macao.

At last, a team won the championship of the open group with a time of 1 hour, 21 minutes and 58 seconds.

"The most important thing is unity among teammates. Only in this way can we row the boat well. Unity makes strength," said Li Dexiong, a racer of the champion team.

Five-person dragon boat race opens in Guangdong

U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Kevin Warsh said on Wednesday that "prices are too high" in the United States, reiterating the Fed's commitment to restoring price stability.

Speaking at the European Central Bank Forum on Central Banking in Sintra, Portugal, Warsh declined to say whether the Fed would raise interest rates at its July policy meeting. He said the central bank would "chart a new course" in conducting monetary policy, but gave no further details. He also stressed that the Fed would not provide forward guidance on future interest rate decisions.

Warsh said the Federal Reserve is establishing a number of task forces to review issues including monetary policy communications, economic data, productivity, inflation frameworks and balance sheet policy. He said reforms should be pursued if the current policy framework hinders effective policymaking.

U.S. Fed chair signals "new course" in monetary policy as prices remain "too high"