Dragon boat races attract tourists

In the watery maze of Diejiao Village in Foshan, South China's Guangdong province, dragon boat teams race through S-curves, L-bends and tight C-turns with breathtaking precision. Spectators gasp and cheer as the 25-meter-long boats rush round corners at full speed, water spraying in their wake.

A popular Cantonese saying captures the spirit of the event: "Ning ho bou laan, bat ho paa maan," meaning, "It's better to crash the boat, than to paddle slowly." It is perhaps no surprise, therefore, that Chinese social media users have dubbed this tradition "F1 on water", with thrilling clips of races going viral across the country and beyond during Dragon Boat Festival holidays.

The festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month each year, and in 2009 it became the first Chinese holiday to be inscribed on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. People throughout China and all over the world celebrate the festival, which has a history stretching back more than 2,000 years.

Festivities vary from region to region, but usually share several features: a memorial ceremony offering sacrifices to an ancient Chinese patriotic poet is combined with sporting events such as dragon boat races, zongzi (sticky rice with various fillings wrapped in leaves) feasts, and folk entertainment such as opera performances.

These rich traditions are increasingly influencing how people choose their travel destinations. Across China, more tourists are seeking out immersive cultural experiences and the Dragon Boat Festival offers both vibrant celebrations and a focus on deep-rooted heritage.

This year's holiday, from May 31 to June 2, turned Foshan into a travel magnet, with total tourist bookings up 167 percent year-on-year. Hotel reservations jumped 145 percent and airline ticket sales rose 110 percent compared to 2024's numbers.

"Chinese dragon boat racing has long gone global," said Chen Xiaolin, a Chinese-Canadian and the leader of a dragon boat team from Victoria, Canada, that joined an international dragon boat competition in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province on May 31.

Yvonne Christine Ann Sharpe, a 70-year-old team member, had eight years of canoeing experience before she tried her hand at dragon boat racing. Sharpe said that canoeing allows paddlers to switch hands, making it a bit easier than dragon boat racing which has a complex technique and requires full team synchronization to maintain balance and speed.

"Hard connectivity, soft connectivity and economic ties lay the foundation for tourism, but cultural connectivity is key to sustaining its appeal," said Tang Jinwen, an associate professor at the Management College of Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University. Tang noted that traditional festivals like the Dragon Boat Festival are becoming cultural events that connect China with the outside world.

Traditional Chinese festival experiences are drawing growing numbers of international visitors to explore and connect with Chinese culture firsthand, particularly following the country's rollout of expanded visa-free travel policies.

According to data from the National Immigration Administration, 231,000 foreign nationals entered China during this year's Dragon Boat Festival holiday under the new policies, a 59.4 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

Hotel searches for inbound international tourism during the holiday more than doubled this year, according to data from online travel giant Trip.com.

Beijing welcomed 67,000 international tourists during the holiday, a year-on-year increase of 35.8 percent. These visitors spent a total of 720 million yuan ($100.13 million), which is 41.1 percent higher than the same period last year.

Xinhua - China Daily