As the Dragon Boat Festival approaches, the marvelous dragon boat race- the 2024 Diejiao Dragon Boat DriftingCompetition is set to kick off in Guicheng, Foshan.

Review of the past Diejiao dragon boat races

As the only folk sports eventwithwater-based curved track racingin China, the contest has attractedtens of thousands of visitorsto gather in this village every year. Online viewership also countsin the billions. This year, the event will run from May to August, featuring solo dragon boat races, campus dragon boat races, Dragon Boat Festival main races, challenges match, consumer festival, etc.

2023 Diejiao Dragon Boat DriftingCompetition in Guicheng. (Xinhua/Liu Dawei)

Previous race highlights/Pan Weixin

Previous race highlights/Qiu Zhizhao

Individual Dragon Boat Racing Kicks Off

Campus Dragon Boat Race Debuts

The 2024 DiejiaoDragon Boat DriftingCompetition sets four major race zones: Shengtang (L-shaped), Tantou (C-shaped), Dongsheng (S-shaped), and Chaji. The ceremony and solo dragon boat race will commence on May 19 in the Diejiao River.

The event is divided intolocal and non-local groups. The race track length is approximately 10 kilometers and consists of two laps. The starting point is Tantou Dragon Tower,proceeding along the river stretch, making u-turn at theShengtang Dragon Towerand heading back to Shangdong. Then it is counted as one lap.

After completing two laps, participants will receive a signal at Shangdongand thenrush towards the Dragon Gateat the right of Tantou Dragon Tower, where is the finish line. The top 13 participants from the local group and the top 20 from the non-local group will be qualifiedto join the next round of competition.

Solo dragon boat race will kick off on May 19

On the same day, the first Campus Dragon Boat Race of Guicheng Street Gujiang School District will also be held.

The competition is divided into middle school and primary school groups. Middle school group will have two categories,30-person traditional dragon boat straight-line timing race and mixed 30-person traditional dragon boat straight-line timing race. In comparison, primary school group only has 30-person traditional dragon boat straight-line timing one. The event aimsto spread dragon boat culture among students and learn basic paddling techniques.

4 Races in 4 Days

Innovationshinesin this yearevent

The Diejiao Dragon Boat Drift competition will be grandly held during the Dragon Boat Festival, and will adopt a "4 Days, 4 Races". Shengtang Race Zone (L-shaped) race, Tantou Race Zone (C-shaped) race, Dongsheng Race Zone (S-shaped) race,and Chaji Race Zone (straight-line) race will be held on June 8-11 respectively.

Additionally, a Diejiao Dragon Boat DriftingChallenge Match, a showdown between straight-line and curved tracks, will be added in August.

Moreover, this event has adopted pre-race night training. From mid-May, each dragon boat team will conduct simulated formal training at night, allowingpeople to observe the trainingon site. That will be an ideal option to enjoy the event as the number of spectators will be less than the main races, and the nighttime weather will be more appealing.

The 2024 Diejiao Dragon Boat Drift Competition uses races to replacetrains.

Diverse Dragon Boat activities in the event

This year, the Dragon Boat Drift Competition will cooperate withvarious forces to create a series of activities, aiming to promote the integration and interaction of dragon boat culture with regional economic development.

For example, during this event, the WBC World Boxing Championship will be jointly staged. This is the first time that Guicheng combines dragon boat culture with boxing. Top professional boxers from 10 countries including China, Japan, Russia, and Australia will not only showdown in the matches but also participate in the water-based curved track competition by Dragon BoatFestival.

The FKO World Boxing Championship will be held jointly with Diejiao Dragon Boat DriftingCompetition on June 8

Furthermore, besidevarious racing eventsfrom day to night, there will be various exciting activities and both water and land markets, allowing people to enjoy both the dragon boat races and the unique charm of the night scenery in the water town.

This year, Foshan News Media Center will hold live through platforms such as Foshan Release, Nanhai Release, Nanhai Guicheng, Foshan+, Foshan Daily, Foshan TV, and Foshan Radio,continuing to deliver visual and cultural feasts to the general public.

Reporter丨Zoey

Revisor丨Eddie, Lynn

Photo | Xinhua, Pan Weixin, Qiu Zhizhao, Foshan News and Media Center

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