Dragon boats surge forward in sync with pounding drums.

The 12th Wenzhou Dragon Boat Series (First Leg) and Traditional Dragon Boat Competition commenced on April 29 at the Wenzhou Dragon Boat Sports Center, featuring nearly 1,000 athletes from 22 teams across the city. The Ouhai Delixi Minglong Dragon Boat Club and Ouhai Wutian Swimming Association Dragon Boat Team claimed the championship and runner-up titles respectively, while Longgang Qianlong Dragon Boat Club secured third place.

Centered on the theme “Embracing Sportsmanship, Showcasing Chinese Spirit”, the opening leg featured traditional 500-meter straight-course races conducted through preliminaries, semifinals, and finals. Rowers synchronized their strokes to drumbeats, cutting through the waves as cheers echoed from the stands. This event marks the first of Wenzhou’s 2025 dragon boat series, with additional activities planned for the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival.

Jin Kai, Secretary-General of both Zhejiang and Wenzhou Dragon Boat Associations, outlined future events: “The Zhejiang International Dragon Boat Open will follow in June. Our village-level dragon boat tournaments, pioneered in Ouhai last year, will return in October. These events will integrate cultural, tourism, sports, and agricultural elements to elevate Wenzhou’s dragon boat profile.”

As China’s hub of dragon boat heritage, Wenzhou continues to amplify its golden reputation as “the destination for dragon boat culture”, leveraging these races to synergize tradition with urban development and public fitness initiatives.