On the morning of June 20th, “The Wind Rises in Gaomiao and Loongs Fly in Wuxi” 2024 Traditional Huaihua Dragon Boat Race Yuanling Division kicked off. More than 200,000 tourists boarded the banks of the Yuan River, waving flags and cheering. 43 dragon boats teams and over 2,000 athletes from Yuanling, Jingzhou, Luxi and other counties, competed in the river with banging the drums.
Many officials and guests attended the event, including Mo Wenxiu -member of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People’s Congress, Liu Quan -deputy director of the International Exchange and Cooperation Bureau of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Li Dajian -member of the Standing Committee of the Hunan Provincial People’s Congress and chairman of the Finance and Economic Committee, Li Wanqian -secretary of the Party Leadership Group and director of the Standing Committee of the Huaihua Municipal People’s Congress, Chen Huajun -general manager of Hunan Tourism Group, Hu Chen -vice mayor of the Huaihua Municipal People’s Government, Ren Zai Dong -secretary of the Party Committee and chairman of the Civil Engineering Co., Ltd. of China National Chemical Corporation, Xiao Xiangliang -deputy director of the Budget Working Committee of the Standing Committee of the Hunan Provincial People’s Congress, Shi Donghai -First-level Technical Specialist of the Hunan Provincial Environmental Protection Office, Mo Wenbin -member of the Party Committee and vice president of Hunan Women’s College, Li Jun -vice chairman of the European-American Students Foundation, Dao Bo -vice president and secretary general of the Chinese National Unity and Progress Association, Yang Shengyong -senior expert of the Chinese National Unity and Progress Association and former executive vice president of the Central Ethnic Cadre College, and Yin Ye -CEO of BGI Group.
The event was hosted by the Yuanling County Dragon Boat Association, under the guidance of the Huaihua Municipal Bureau of Culture, Tourism, Radio, Television and Sports and the Huaihua Dragon Boat Association.
The drums beat fast, and the folk customs are splendidly shown in Chenzhou. With the nine powerful and vigorous loongs leaping into the scene, the dragon boat culture performance officially kicked off. “Nine loongs” symbolize the good weather, stable society, and prosperous business in Chenzhou.
“With the drums like thunder and the smoke like clouds, the movement of the dragon boat creates a misty atmosphere.” “Snowflake Covering the Top” is a difficult technique in dragon boat racing. Its rowing skills and the splashing of the waves instantly fire the scene, and the audience cheers and applauds. The shouting and beating of the drums and gongs in the river intertwine with each other, shocking into the moving clouds in the high sky.
Accompanied on the cheerful drums, various “fancy” dragon boat performances were brought to the audience. Colorful and wonderful folk performances such as playing the flag, dancing with the dragon flag, the bench dragon, and the dry dragon boat appeared one after another, presenting the unique charm of Yuanling- the traditional dragon boat town, which dazzled the audience.
The big drum, called the “mouthpiece”, is also a major feature of the dragon boat. The winning team plays a victory song on the drum, and the losing team shows their dissatisfaction. A solemn and intense drumbeat is played, and the audience’s hearts beat in rhythm, pushing the race to a climax.
It is known that the Yuanling dragon boat culture has been passed down for thousands of years, forming a thick “dragon boat script” with “two major viewpoints” and “three major schools”, such as “stealing materials”, “closing the head”, “appreciating the red”, “grabbing the red”, “smashing the boat”, and so on. On December 10, 2002, the Chinese Dragon Boat Association awarded Yuanling County the “Hometown of Traditional Chinese Dragon Boat”. In May 2011, the Traditional Yuanling Dragon Boat Race ranked on the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection List. More than 10 major dragon boat races such as the “International Dragon Boat Race”, “Traditional Chinese Dragon Boat Race” and “Traditional Hunan Dragon Boat Race” have been successfully held in Yuanling.
During the race, the county also carried out the 2024 Yuanling County Second Huimin Consumption Festival and “The Wind Rises in Gaomiao and Loongs Fly in Wuxi” Traditional Huaihua Dragon Boat Race -Warm Yuanling Service Action simultaneously. Theme exhibitions and sales of special agricultural products, household appliances, kitchen and bathroom, real estate, automobiles, snacks and food, welfare lottery tickets were held at the Dragon Boat Square, Longteng Square, Chenzhou Ancient Street, etc.. At the same time, the dragon boat race was linked with the Zhonghua Shushan Scenic Area to carry out the “Visit in Zhonghua Shushan while Enjoying the Dragon Boat Race” activity. With the theme of “An Ice Cream, A Photo, A Ticket and An Encounter”, it further enhanced the experience of tourists’ one-day tour in Zhonghua Shanshan.
(Translated by Qu Qiongxue)