Chongqing - On June 1, the 4th Chongqing Dragon Boat Open Championship in 2024 (Tongnan Station) kicked off in Tongnan District. Opening with a traditional Chinese lion dance performance and the "eye-dotting" of dragon boats,19 dragon boat teams and more than 500 athletes from Sichuan and Chongqing in Southwest China paddled in the waves of the Fu River, starting a "fast and furious" river race.

Dragon Boat Festival, which usually falls on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar, falls on June 10 this year.

The 4th Chongqing Dragon Boat Open Championship in 2024 (Tongnan Station). (Photo/Jiang Anjun)

Festival celebration

The 4th Chongqing Dragon Boat Open Championship was also held in Wulong District, Changshou District, Tongnan District, and Hechuan District, with Tongnan District being the third leg. The competition adopted a standard 22-person dragon boat, divided into two groups: a 200-meter straight race and a 500-meter straight race. It attracted 19 dragon boat teams and more than 500 athletes from different regions of Sichuan and Chongqing.

At 8:30 am, as the starting gun sounded, the mighty dragon boats competed with the athletes, cutting through the waves on the river, chasing each other, and rowing towards the finish line. After fierce competition, the Chongqing Hechuan District Team won the championship, and the Chongqing Three Gorges University Team and the Southwest Medical University Team followed.

The competition team is ready to go. (Photo/Jiang Anjun)

Sports and culture

Fierce competition scene of the 4th Chongqing Dragon Boat Open Championship in 2024 (Tongnan Station). (Photo/Jiang Anjun)

"This Dragon Boat Open Tournament integrates the excellent traditional Chinese culture with the spirit of modern competitive sports. It is a high-quality sports tourism event in Sichuan and Chongqing, and also a brand event for Tongnan to create a national sports tourism integration demonstration zone," said a relevant person in charge of the event. The wonderful dragon boat race demonstrated Tongnan's profound cultural heritage, beautiful scenery, and rapid changes and development.

A flying water show. (Photo/Jiang Anjun)

Wonderful activities

Tongnan will conduct cultural and tourism activities during the Dragon Boat Festival, including "Singing on the Fujiang River, Celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival with Zongzi." On June 2,  a paddle board invitational competition was held, when hundreds of people gathered on the Fu River to carry out a 5,000-meter long-distance paddle board race and a 200-meter skill competition. Moreover, parent-child study activities will run through the entire holiday, including dragon boat racing, rice field transplanting, and Dragon Boat Festival folk experience. At 19:30 on the evening of June 9-10, there will be a "Dragon Soaring on the Fujiang River," the longest dragon boat blessing parade ceremony, bamboo raft singing, chime ancient music performances, and other folk activities, further highlighting the charm of Chinese traditional culture.