The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, traditionally falls on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar.
The dragon boat competition, a traditional part of the festival, has gained popularity on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, bringing excitement to a wide range of people.
Located on the southeastern coast of China, Fujian Province is ideal for water sports with its widely scattered rivers, lakes and the sea. On June 18, 2023, a friendly dragon boat race started with firecrackers bursting and crowds cheering in Lianjiang County of Fujian. Rowers from Matsu were invited to compete with Lianjiang local dragon boat teams, using a newly built dragon boat, which was a gift presented by the rowers in Lianjiang to the rowers from Matsu.
The same tradition of racing dragon boats has been passed down from generations to generations. The enthusiasm continued, inspiring the public to enjoy the sports, cherish the tradition and history.
People race dragon boats on a river acrossing Sanxi Village in Fuzhou of southeast China's Fujian Province, on June 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Luo Yuan)
Lin Yihong (4th L), a 25-year-old dragon boat enthusiast from Taoyuan, talks with teammates in a dragon boat race which has participants from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, in Xiamen of southeast China's Fujian Province, on June 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
Local people transfer a newly built dragon boat, which will be presented to the people from Matsu as a gift, in Lianjiang of southeast China's Fujian Province, on May 31, 2023. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)
Craftsmen work in a dragon boat factory in Minhou of southeast China's Fujian Province, on June 12, 2023.(Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
People race dragon boats on a river acrossing Sanxi Village in Fuzhou of southeast China's Fujian Province, on June 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
This aerial photo taken on June 3, 2023 shows rowers from both sides of the Taiwan Strait attending the opening ceremony of a dragon boat cultural festival in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
People compete in a dragon boat race which has participants from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, in Xiamen of southeast China's Fujian Province, on June 3, 2023.(Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
Local people present a newly built dragon boat to the people from Matsu as a gift in Lianjiang of southeast China's Fujian Province, on May 31, 2023. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)
Fang Shaohuang, an inheritor of the city-level intangible cultural heritage of dragon boat making techniques, checks a newly built dragon boat, which will be presented to the rowers from Matsu as a gift, in Minhou of southeast China's Fujian Province, on May 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
Local people transfer a newly built dragon boat, which will be presented to the people from Matsu as a gift, in Lianjiang of southeast China's Fujian Province, on May 31, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
People race dragon boats on a river acrossing Sanxi Village in Fuzhou of southeast China's Fujian Province, on June 20, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
Chen Boxun (3rd L, with a oar), a 18-year-old student from Matsu, participates in a friendly race with other rowers from Matsu in Lianjiang of southeast China's Fujian Province, on June 20, 2023. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan)
Chen Boxun, a 18-year-old student from Matsu, shows his oar before a dragon boat race in Lianjiang of southeast China's Fujian Province, on June 20, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
This aerial photo shows people racing dragon boats on a river acrossing Sanxi Village in Fuzhou of southeast China's Fujian Province, on June 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
Fang Shaohuang (L), an inheritor of the city-level intangible cultural heritage of dragon boat making techniques, talks with his nephew Fang Jianwei at a dragon boat factory in Minhou of southeast China's Fujian Province, on May 30, 2022. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
People compete in a dragon boat race in Fuzhou of southeast China's Fujian Province, on June 22, 2023. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)
A craftsman carries a newly carved wooden dragon head in a dragon boat factory in Minhou of southeast China's Fujian Province, on June 12, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
A student from Northeast Electric Power University competes in a dragon boat race in Fuzhou of southeast China's Fujian Province, on June 22, 2023. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)
This aerial photo shows people racing dragon boats on a river acrossing Sanxi Village in Fuzhou of southeast China's Fujian Province, on June 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
This aerial photo shows people launching a new dragon boat in Putian of southeast China's Fujian Province, on June 13, 2023. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan)
Lin Yihong (1st R), a 25-year-old dragon boat enthusiast from Taoyuan, gestures in a dragon boat race which has participants from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, in Xiamen of southeast China's Fujian Province, on June 3, 2023. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan)
People race dragon boats on a river acrossing Sanxi Village in Fuzhou of southeast China's Fujian Province, on June 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Luo Yuan)
People race dragon boats on a river acrossing Sanxi Village in Fuzhou of southeast China's Fujian Province, on June 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Luo Yuan)
A craftsman paints a dragon boat in a factory in Minhou of southeast China's Fujian Province, on May 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
Rowers pose prior to a dragon boat race in Fuzhou of southeast China's Fujian Province, on June 20, 2023. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)
Rowers from Matsu (R) compete with rowers from Lianjiang in a friendly race in Lianjiang of southeast China's Fujian Province, on June 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
A craftsman paints a newly carved wooden dragon head in a dragon boat factory in Minhou of southeast China's Fujian Province, on June 12, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
People watch a dragon boat race in Fuzhou of southeast China's Fujian Province, on June 22, 2023. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)
Fang Jianwei, nephew of inheritor of the city-level intangible cultural heritage of dragon boat making techniques Fang Shaohuang, cleans a newly built dragon boat, which will be presented to the rowers from Matsu as a gift, in Minhou of southeast China's Fujian Province, on May 31, 2023. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan)
People race dragon boats on a river acrossing Sanxi Village in Fuzhou of southeast China's Fujian Province, on June 20, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
Photos by: Jiang Kehong, Wei Peiquan, Lin Shanchuan
Video by: Luo Yuan
