Thousand participate in dragon boat race to mark Duanwu Festival

A dragon boat race was organised to celebrate the Duanwu Festival in Xinyu City of Jiangxi Province in east China, with about 1,200 people participating.

The participants came from various villages in Xinyu City. About 800 people working in other cities returned to their native villages especially for the race.

Dragon boat racing in Xinyu City has a history of over 1,000 years. In 2011, it was listed as a provincial intangible cultural heritage of Jiangxi Province.

The Duanwu Festival, or the Dragon Boat Festival, is traditionally celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar.