The Development of Dragon Boat Race
2 min readThe Development of Dragon Boat Race
Local people honor the memory of Qu Yuan on this day by holding dragon-boat races.It is said that the boat races were regarded as a symbol of the people’s attempt to rescue Qu Yuan.For a long time now they have been a popular sport.China has a long history of making big wooden boats sport.The prow is a carved dragon’shead，and the body is made in a dragon-like shape or following the design of fish，birds or shrimp.It is painted red，yellow，black or white according to the taste of the oarsmen.Different size boats hold different numbers of oarsmen，seated in pairs.
Boat races are held in rivers going either up or downstream or from bank to bank，following the strict rules and regulations set by the State Physical Culture and Sports Commission.Winners are awarded trophies.Every year the”Qu Yuan Cup”is held in China.The boat race is also very popular in Japan，Korea and Southeast Asia.
Modern Dragon Boat Race in China
Today，people hold the race differently from place to place.Here are some instances.Along the Miluo River in Hubei Province，the festival celebrators hold a grand opening ceremony before the race starts.At the ceremony dozens of men in new clothes，with burning candles in hands，walk around boats three times to show worship of Lu Ban the master craftsman；then they carry，on their shoulders，an image of a dragon’s head to the Temple of Qu Yuan，where they pay their respect to this saint；finally they tie red ribbons to the boats and pull them into the river for the race.
At the crack of a signal gun，the boats race ahead like discharged arrows fitted to bowstrings while both banks are a hubbub of voices，a babel of firecracker explosions and a scene of fluttering colored banners.In Sichuan’s Luzhou and its nearby regions，the racers in a dragon boat include a commander，a drummer and some rowers.
The commander，standing on the bow，waves a pennant and sings a race song to synchronize rowing movements while the drummer beats a drum with all his might tocheer the rowers on.In the areas of Xiamen and Zhangzhou of Fujian Province，a big wooden boast is arranged lying at the finishing line.When race boats reach the line，a number of ducks are released from the big wooden boat is arranged lying at the finishing line.When race boats reach the line，a number of ducks are released from the big wooden boat into the river for all the racers to catch amid thunderous cheers of spectators on the banks.In Guangxi，racers may be either men or women，and they may row race boats either by hand or by foot.
