A video clip of women being driven away from a dragon boat event held in Foshan, South China’s Guangdong Province, has aroused public debates over gender discrimination recently.

It has long been a tradition for residents in Shunde, Foshan, to participate in the annual dragon boat competitions and parades as an essential part of the celebration of the Dragon Boat Festival.

However, a video clip of the dragon boat event shows men on a dragon boat demanding female spectators on a bridge to disperse and shy away from the dragon boats.

A worker from the local publicity department confirmed with the media of the authenticity of the video.

The move is related to the local custom that women could offend the gods invited to the shrines consecrated on the boats, the worker said, explaining that it had nothing to do with gender discrimination.

According to the local custom, local women also proactively shy away from shrines which they believe the offense would bring themselves and their families misfortune.

In recent years, women have also been invited to participate in such dragon boat events, the worker said, explaining that the boats women row are called phoenix boats, which when passing by, will also demand other women to shy away.

The worker also added that such a custom prevailing in some areas of the community does not represent the official attitude.

However, the explanation further sparked controversy online with many netizens criticizing the belief and saying it constitute gender discrimination.

Some netizens pointed out that not all customs should be inherited and some should have long been abandoned.

Global Times