Dragon Boat Race

Dragon Boat Race

Nominating Unit: City of Shenzhen

The Dragon Boat Race of Songgang Street of Bao’an District, Shenzhen is a unique folk activity with strong local characteristics, which differs from the dragon boat races of other places. Songgang Dragon Boat Race came from a local legend. Although affected by the intention of commemorating Qu Yuan on Dragon Boat Festival during its process of development, the development and boom of it is in close relationship with the national hero Wen Tianxiang, whose family held activities to commemorate him. The Wen Clan gave the activity of Songgang Dragon Boat Race a unique meaning of worshipping the ancestors of the clan, forming a set of complete, standardized and rigorous rituals, which made it a major folk activity for the local people. For example, participants of the race must be trained seriously one month before the Dragon Boat Festival. A good day must be chosen before boats’ laying down into water. Before the good day, dragon boat coach in the village digs the boat out off the sand and mud, which is called“Qi Longshen”. After that, people should worship the God of Dragon, wash and repair the boat, painting with bright colors and drawing fish-scales on the boat, which is called “Chuan Xinyi”. At last, people fix the head and tail of the dragon together and make it a big dragon boat which can carry 50-60people. There is a respectable senior elected to draw the eyes of the dragon boats in the ancestral hall. Besides, a good day must be chosen for the first training in water, which is also known as “Caiqing”. On the day of Dragon Boat Festival, people watch the traditional Qixing lion dances before the races get started. With the first half eaten by themselves, people coming for watching will throw the other half of their zongzi, ginger tea and boiled duck’s eggs into the water, in order to worship the Dragon King and commemorate Qu Yuan, the compatriot poet in the State of Chu in ancient China.

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There are four styles of rowing in traditional Songgang Dragon Boats Race, namely, Shenshuiyao, Chelunyao, Hudiezhang and Yazhangyao. Teams are free to choose a style according to their situations. As the waters of Zhongxindun of Songgang is relatively deep, and the boats are relatively big with many participants rowing, most of the teams choose the style of Shenhuiyao. There’re two places for holding the traditional races. One starts from Zhongxindun of Jinweihua Village, going along Songgang Laojie, ending at Longchuanwan of Shigulang. The other one also starts from Zhongxindun of Jinweihua Village, going along the Maozhou River, ending at the old dock of Bitou Village. The two were also the main places for holding dragon boat races by people in Baoan, Hong Kong and Macao, as well as the overseas Chinese. In 1961, people started to hold dragon boat races at the Wuzhipa reservoir after it was built.

Songgang Dragon Boat Race is an activity with complete rituals and strict organizations, which makes good distinctions between the important and the lesser one according to the schedule of time. There’re fixed timetables, places and worshipping rituals for the races, which is of great value to the research of the customs in the Dragon Boats Festival of the Pearl River Delta. However, due to changes of environment and lifestyles as well as the impact of modern culture and other factors, Songgang Dragon Boat Race is facing the danger of being lost. Therefore, it is urgent to adopt practical and effective protective and supportive measures.