According to the Dragon-Boat Association of China, several hundred
top oarsmen from throughout the country will take part in the Ninth
Qu Yuan Cup to be held from August 5 to 10. The race is named for a
beloved patriotic poet who lived in this part of China some 2,000
years ago and took his own life by jumping into the river.
The Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar
month. The boats incorporate a dragon head and tail, are decorated
with paintings and flags, and carry gongs and drums. The head is
usually carved from a single block of wood and put in place just
before the race. The tail is also formed from single block and
characteristically emphasizes the mythical creature's scales.
In
his History of the Dragon Boat Festival, Wen Yiduo postulates that
the Wuyue people who inhabited present-day Jiangsu and Zhejiang
provinces made sacrifices at the time of the festival, and that the
race was a combination of religion and entertainment. This was a
time to pray for rain and reprieve from bad fortune and illness.
The ancient Chinese were very dependent on agriculture and
therefore felt awe and respect for the dragon, who was thought to
control water.
As
a way of supplicating the dragon, people decorated their boats with
ornate heads, scaly bodies, and powerful feet. In this way, they
showed that they were descendants of the dragon. Others hold that
the dragon-boat regatta originated in the state of Chu during the
Zhou Dynasty as a way of commemorating Qu Yuan.
The regatta itself varies from place to place. In eastern Guangdong
Province, people paint and decorate their dragon boats after spring
transplanting, train for a period of time and hold public
performances in different villages during the first three weeks of
the fifth lunar month. On the day of the regatta, the participants
arrive early in the morning as spectators in colorful garb line the
riverbank. Women who have come to cheer for their local rowers
bring firecrackers, sweets, cigarettes and beer, and will row out
to greet the boats before the races start.
Around Lianjiang in eastern Fujian Province, dragon-boats are
launched on the last day of the fourth lunar month. The boats are
decorated and paraded through the streets, and in a kind of
benediction, people spray water on them -- the more the better.
Several minority groups also observe the festival. The Zhuang in
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the Dai in Yunnan Province and
the Miao in Guizhou Province all hold grand dragon-boat races. The
Miao in particular believe that the race helps guarantee the
success of their spring transplanting. Horse races and bullfights
are also held at this time. Families brew rice wine, make
pyramid-shaped dumplings of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or
reed leaves, prepare sumptuous feasts, entertain friends and visit
relatives. The young sing and dance to tunes played on reed pipes,
orns and flutes. Today, it is not uncommon to talk business and
promote investment at this auspicious time of year.
The Miluo River dragon-boat regatta is especially unique. Every
family is expected to contribute materials or money. Stealing wood
for the boats is a tradition, since it is said that wood obtained
from swift-footed thieves will produce a fast boat. This has become
so accepted that people who have their wood stolen don't really
mind. On the first day of the festival, the captain will take the
carved dragon head and accompanied by his crew, go to the temple to
place it before the Qu Yuan altar, burn incense and pray. The
temple itself becomes a joyful place, with firecrackers going off
and music filling the air. The head of the temple will drape a
piece of red silk around the dragon head to bring the boat good
luck in the race.
In
1984, the State Physical Culture and Sports Commission listed the
dragon-boat regatta as an official nationwide competition subject
to standardized procedures. In June 1985, to promote the
development of dragon-boat races in China and abroad, the
Dragon-Boat Association of China was founded in Yichang, Hubei
Province.
Dragon-boat racing has now become an international sport. The
Chinese government has hosted eight Qu Yuan Cups, the first
Yanhuang Cup (an international competition),the first Asian
Dragon-Boat Championship, and many invitational races. More than 20
international races have been held in China. In June 1995, the
first International Championship was held in Yueyang, the spot
where Qu Yuan committed suicide. More than 1,000 rowers on 37
dragon-boats from 14 countries and regions including Canada, Italy,
Germany, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, the United Kingdom and
the United States took part in the competition. China's Guangdong
Shunde Dragon-Boat Team and the Hunan Yueyang Dragon-Boat Team
together won nine gold medals.
In
June 1997, the Guangdong Doumen Women's Team took yet another gold
medal in the Second International Dragon-Boat Championship held in
Hong Kong. The Third International Dragon-Boat Championship will be
hosted by the United Kingdom in 1999, the first time the
championship is to be held outside of China. It proves that
dragon-boat racing has become truly international.
from China Today