A total of 1,078 participants who formed 58 teams competed at the 21st annual Suzhou Creek City Dragon Boat Invitational Tournament in Shanghai over the weekend, to celebrate the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival that falls on May 31 this year. Among them 89 are foreign participants from various countries including the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Australia, Canada and the US, an 82 percent increase from 2024. In addition to the dragon boat races, a series of activities featuring China’s intangible cultural heritage, sports and cuisine were also held at a park at the riverside of Suzhou Creek over the weekend, offering citizens an immersive experience of traditional Chinese culture and customs.
The Dragon Boat Festival, celebrated on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, is one of the most important traditional Chinese festivals. Dragon boat racing, a highlight of the festival, is folk tradition with thousands of years of history in China. (Photos: Lu Ting/GT)