Saturday, April 26, 2025
The origins of the Dragon Boat hark back to an ancient legend that over 2,000 years ago the great Chinese poet and statesman Qu Yuan (3rd century B.C.) threw himself into the Mi-Luo River as a form of protest against the oppression of the people by the central government. Upon learning of this news, fishermen decided to search for Qu Yuan's body with the help of large boats, trying to ward off the fish by energetically slamming their oars on the water.
This is the legend, but scholars believe, however, that the origin of Dragon Boat should be sought in southern China, particularly in the Chang Jiang region, around 500 B.C. Others claim that regulated and organized competitions were held during the Sui dynasty (581-618 A.D.) and the Tang dynasty (618-907 A.D.).
The evolution of the discipline began in 1976, when the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA) transformed the folk tradition into a sport with international regulations.
Since that year, dragon boating has been recognized as a sporting discipline and has now spread all over the world, involving competitions in standard boats 12.40 meters long and no more than 1.12 meters wide, with a dragon's head and tail at the bow and stern, respectively. These distinctive boats are propelled by 20 athletes, whose paddle strokes are punctuated by the rhythm of a “drummer,” while a coxswain at the stern directs the boat with an oar about 3 meters long.
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