CCTV news: At midnight, on the moat of Suzhou, Jiangsu, a 500-meter-long water "golden dragon" came riding on the waves.
This "golden dragon" is made up of 55 bamboo rafts connected end to end. From the selection of bamboo materials to the exquisite carving of the dragon head, everything is done by hand. At night, the "golden dragon" breaks through the water, and the river is filled with light, complementing the lights of the ancient city wall. The thousand-year-old ancient charm blends with the water charm of the south of the Yangtze River, making the Dragon Boat Festival folk customs glow with the unique gentleness and magnificence of the water town.
Cangzhou, Hebei: Enjoy the folk-custom Northern Dragon Boat Festival Dragon Boat Fighting on the Grand Canal
During this Dragon Boat Festival holiday, in Cangzhou, Hebei, you can not only watch the lively dragon boat racing competition, but the local area also incorporates the acrobatic culture nurtured by the Grand Canal, bringing citizens and tourists a unique Dragon Boat Festival event full of ancient charm, both civil and military, and a blend of north and south.
On the banks of the Grand Canal in Cangzhou, Hebei, the event not only had a strong Dragon Boat Festival atmosphere, but also incorporated a strong canal culture. In the aerial footage, you can see that the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal passes through the city, with the Cangzhou section accounting for one-eighth of the total length. In ancient times, both sides of the canal were busy with water transportation and merchants gathered. These twelve dragon boat teams are all named after local business names of the year, such as Zhenyuan Escort Bureau, Pu Bookstore, etc., allowing people to instantly travel back to the prosperous days of the canal wharfs with numerous merchants and escorts.
Dragon boat racing in the north and south of the Dragon Boat Festival each has its own characteristics. The dragon boat racing in the south is about the speed of chopping waves, while the dragon boat racing in the north of Cangzhou has a more prominent character of "fighting". Each team is equipped with three "water beasts". What is a "water beast"? They are local people who relied on canals for a living in the old days and are good at diving, salvage and underwater operations. According to folk custom, on the Dragon Boat Festival, people throw sealed wine jars into the canal, and "water beasts" dive into the water to fight for the wine jars. According to records in Cang County Chronicles, this unique Dragon Boat Festival water folk custom has been circulating in Cangzhou 200 years ago. When competing for the wine jar, players can use the current to stir up the waves to block the opponent. When faced with an opponent's fight, they can push and maneuver around, but they cannot hit vital points with elbows or knees. They must be aboveboard.
In addition to the local dragon boat fighting, unique intangible cultural heritage activities from the north and south are also performed on the canal. In the past, Wuqiao acrobats traveled north and south along the canal. Today, the classic old acrobatics stage also makes a stunning appearance here. The artist uses only the strength of his neck to make the vat rotate and rise and fall, which is a great test for the performer's body balance. Looking at the Duzhu Drifting from Chishui, Guizhou, the performer steps barefoot on the bamboo as thick as the mouth of the bowl and holds a thin pole to swim freely on the water. Performers of high-pole boat skills in Tongxiang, Zhejiang Province climbed to the top of a bamboo pole more than ten meters high, flipped and pranced on it, and completed various difficult movements, attracting bursts of applause from the shore.
As early as 2022, the 13.7-kilometer Grand Canal flowing through the central city of Cangzhou will be open to tourism and navigation. The antique building beside the river is Nanchuan Tower. After reconstruction and reconstruction, Nanchuan Old Street has become a popular cultural and tourist destination by the canal. Martial arts culture, acrobatics and folk customs blend and coexist here, allowing the ancient thousand-year-old Grand Canal to continuously release new vitality in cultural tourism.
Wuxuan, Guangxi: Dragon boat paddles and intangible folk customs of Qixing Lake celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival
Wuxuan County, located in Laibin City, Guangxi, has a developed water system. The Qianjiang River passes through the city, and the folk custom of dragon boat racing has a long history. This year's Dragon Boat Festival, the local area integrates water dragon boat competitions, folk parades and performances, and intangible cultural heritage markets.
Relying on the waterfront water resources to create a national festival feast, tourists from all over the world gather here to experience the authentic Zhuang rural customs amidst the sound of oars, gongs and drums and the wonderful intangible cultural heritage.
Arriving at the Qixing Lake in Wuxuan County, Laibin, Guangxi, a 22-person dragon boat 500-meter straight race is currently taking place. Accompanied by the sonorous and powerful drumbeats, the oarsmen leaned over and swung their oars in uniform movements, creating a tense and lively atmosphere. Each dragon boat is composed of a drummer, helmsman and oarsmen. The drummer is responsible for controlling the rhythm and boosting morale. The helmsman controls the course at the stern of the boat, and the oarsmen work together to break the waves. The wonderful scene also attracted many people to watch and cheer for the players.
Qixing Lake, the venue for this event, is an artificial lake built on the basis of the Dadengxia Water Conservancy Project, a major national water conservancy project. It is a closed inner lake. The water flow is stable and the wind and waves are small. It is also a national-level water training base, which can be said to provide professional hardware support for the event.
In order to allow everyone to participate in the dragon boat race as much as possible, there are three competition categories in this event. Among them, the open group is open for registration from both inside and outside Guangxi and has a higher level of competition; the local group is limited to local groups and focuses on neighborhood fun; the youth group is formed by local middle school students. The youngest team member is only fourteen years old, but despite their young age, they are as good as adults on the field. They swing the oar powerfully and cooperate with each other tacitly, showing a calmness and fighting spirit beyond their age.
There is a women's dragon boat team in the ongoing competition. This women's dragon boat team has only been established for more than a month and has signed up to participate in the open group and the local group at the same time. Among the team members, the oldest is 59 years old and the youngest is 27. They come from various walks of life such as medical, finance, and banking. There are two women's dragon boat teams this year. They compete with the men's teams in their respective categories. It can be said that they are as good as women and show their elegance.
When you come to the intangible cultural heritage market by the lake, the atmosphere of traditional culture hits your face. In the sachet making experience area, everyone can make their own Dragon Boat Festival sachets with their own hands, expressing their good wishes for safety and health. The hydrangea next to them is an indispensable object for the Zhuang people during the New Year and the festival, expressing the Zhuang people's yearning for a better life.
It is understood that there are more than ten intangible cultural heritage booths set up here, covering Zhuang bee drums, indigo dyeing cloth and other intangible cultural heritage items, as well as the exhibition and sales of Hakka rice wine and Wuxuan rice cakes. During the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, the local government allowed various intangible cultural heritage skills to go out of the exhibition hall and get closer to the masses, so that everyone can better feel the charm of intangible cultural heritage.
