A 2,000-year-old story
Dragon boat racing goes back to the Duanwu festival in China, held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. The story goes that the poet and statesman Qu Yuan, sent into exile, threw himself into the Miluo River.
Fishermen raced out to find him, beating drums and throwing rice parcels into the water to keep the fish away. The drummer in today's boats is a memory of that search.
UNESCO added the Dragon Boat Festival to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2009.
From festival to sport
The modern era began with the first international races in Hong Kong in 1976. The International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) was founded in 1991, and the sport is now raced in more than 60 countries.
Championships are raced over 200, 500, 1000 and 2000 metres. Nearly every corporate festival uses the 200-metre sprint, which is the most exciting for spectators and the most accessible for beginners.
The eye-dotting ceremony
By tradition a dragon-headed boat does not go on the water until its eyes are dotted with red paint, which is said to wake the dragon. At big festivals the honour usually goes to a guest of honour or the title sponsor.
Who does what in the boat
- Paddlers
- They sit in pairs. The front rows carry the rhythm, the middle rows supply the power and the back rows keep the boat running.
- Drummer
- Sits in the bow facing the crew, sets the stroke rate on the drum and drives the boat to the finish.
- Steerer
- Stands at the stern holding the course with a long sweep oar, and calls the commands from start to finish.
One stroke
Dragon boat paddles have a single blade and paddlers face forward. A good stroke has five phases.
- 1
Reach
Rotate forward and extend the lower arm.
- 2
Catch
Bury the blade fully without a splash.
- 3
Pull
Pull parallel to the boat with back and legs.
- 4
Exit
Exit at the hip. Pulling further back slows the boat.
- 5
Recovery
Carry the blade forward. Recovery speed sets the rate.
