Dragon boat racing: Renewing a spirit of togetherness

Over 2,000 years ago, people rowed desperately to save the poet Qu Yuan – giving birth to the solemn origin of dragon boat racing. Today, dragon boats have reached far beyond China. More than 90 countries and regions now have their own teams.

Paddlers of different skin colors cut through the waves in one single rhythm. The dragon boat is no longer just a Chinese tradition – it has become a shared human expression of unity and resolve.

Drumbeats, paddles, and cheers return every Dragon Boat Festival, bridging a memory from two millennia to the present. Dragon boat racing is more than a tradition – it is remembrance renewed, and the most direct and sincere bond between people.