Dragon boat racing is one of the customs of the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival and one of the most important folk activities, particularly prevalent in southern China.
"As dragon boats from every village spread across the land, flags and drums vie to soar aloft everywhere," depicted by the Song Dynasty poet Ye Shi, illustrating the vibrant scenes of the Dragon Boat Festival in his hometown, Ruian, Wenzhou, in east China's Zhejiang province. This attests to the high popularity of dragon boat racing at that time.
Presently, orders are pouring into the various dragon boat manufacturing bases in Ruian, with each village scrambling to produce their "village boats," readying themselves to display their prowess during the events.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service
