Latest news with #ChineseDragonBoatFestival
The Star
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Dragon boat race in Ljubljana sees record attendance
LJUBLJANA, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of spectators gathered along the river of Ljubljanica in the heart of Slovenia's capital on Saturday to watch a traditional dragon boat race, with 12 teams competing in this year's event. Organised by the Confucius Institute at the University of Ljubljana with the support of the Kayak Association of Slovenia, the annual race celebrates the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival. With a history of more than 2,000 years, the festival is recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization as part of China's intangible cultural heritage. Danijela Voljc, the Slovenian director of the Confucius Institute Ljubljana, noted that this year's race coincided with the official date of the festival in China. Andrej Jelenc, head of the Kayak Association of Slovenia, highlighted the record turnout, saying participant levels exceeded those of previous years. "The event is about getting together and having fun," Andrej said. Besides the race, visitors enjoyed cultural activities such as writing Chinese characters and tasting traditional Chinese dishes. The four 10-seat dragon boats used at the 200-meter race were made in China and brought to Slovenia several years ago. Among the rowers was Shan Yujie, a local elementary student who moved to Slovenia eleven years ago. "I like everything at this festival: rowing, company, food," the experienced rower told Xinhua in fluent Slovenian. Another participant, Anja Bradic, a sinology student at the University of Ljubljana, said she joined the race to enjoy time with friends and practice her Chinese. "The hardest thing on the boat was to catch the right rhythm," she said. Participants also came from other parts of Europe. Romanda Sheku from North Macedonia, currently studying at the University of Ljubljana's Faculty of Social Sciences, said: "This is my first time at the race, and I am really happy to be a part of it." This year's champion was the team of the Confucius Classroom from Gymnasium Celje-Center secondary school, who was also last year's winner. The Confucius Institute Ljubljana, established 15 years ago, has been organising the annual dragon boat race in Slovenia for almost ten years.
The Star
24-05-2025
- The Star
Malta hosts first Duanwu Cup dragon boat friendship race
VALLETTA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The first Duanwu Cup dragon boat friendship race in Malta was held Saturday in the historic eastern Maltese city of Birgu to mark the traditional Chinese Dragon Boat Festival. Also known as the Duanwu Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. This year, it falls on May 31. The event was jointly organized by the China Cultural Centre in Malta, the Birgu Regatta Club, the Maltese-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and the Chinese Community Association in Malta. Dubbed the Duanwu Cup, the event brought together dragon boat enthusiasts from both China and Malta to compete on the sparkling waters off the coast of Birgu. The race also attracted a lively crowd. As the rhythmic beats of a Chinese drum echoed along the waterfront, rowers paddled in unison, cheered on by enthusiastic spectators lining the shore. "We sincerely hope this becomes a yearly event, because it's important to be exposed to different cultures," said Audrey Randich, assistant secretary of the Birgu Regatta Club. She expressed hope that more boats would join future editions, adding, "It's always good to bring cultures together." Ian Mizzi, president of the Maltese-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, described the event as both "exciting and meaningful." He had heard about dragon boat races before, but witnessing the spirit behind the tradition in person was truly special, he said. Yuan Yuan, director of the China Cultural Centre in Malta, emphasized the broader significance of the event. "This race is not only a sporting exchange between dragon boat lovers from China and Malta, but also a new platform for cultural interaction," she said, adding, "It opens up further opportunities for cooperation in culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges."
IOL News
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Cape Town Dragon Boat Festival: A celebration of diversity, Chinese culture and dragon boat racing
Cape Town Dragon Boat Association hosts the Cultures of China Dragon Boat Festival on Saturday at the V&A Waterfront. Image: Ian Landsberg / Independent Newspapers Not only did scores of people from Cape Town's Chinese community show up for this year's "Cultures of China - Cape Town Dragon Boat Festival" celebrations at Battery Park on the V&A Waterfront, but so did locals. Traditionally held on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu) commemorates Qu Yuan, the devoted statesman and poet from the Warring States period, whose legacy lives on through spirited boat races and the sharing of sticky rice dumplings, or zongzi. Building on last year's success, several enthusiastic paddlers competed. Competitors battled in 100-metre and 500-metre sprints, with a tug-of-war race on the water adding extra excitement. On Saturday, spectators lined the Battery Park shoreline to cheer on the crews and enjoyed cultural performances, traditional music, and a showcase of Chinese heritage throughout the afternoon. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Chairperson of the Cape Town Dragon Boat Association, Igsaan Salie, said that dragon boating has been in the city since around the 90s, however, their partnership with the Chinese community over the last three years has enabled 'a phenomenal change' in terms of scope. 'It's fantastic – when it comes to food, decorations, and just overall gees (atmosphere). It just became a whole new thing, and it went up a whole bunch of levels. 'When we participate at the marina and those places, it's great, but it's not on the same level as the festival in terms of the turnout, the enthusiasm, and all of that - and the guys love it,' Salie said. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and the Chinese Consul General in Cape Town, You Wenze, were also in attendance at the festival. The mayor got to experience and enjoy all that the Chinese community had to offer. Hill-Lewis was given a tour around the festival by the Consul General, and he also got his hands dirty competing in a few games, and even testing how good his aim was at basketball. The festival also included an exhilarating dragon boat race in which Hill-Lewis and Wenze participated alongside the various dragon boat clubs in Cape Town. The festival also included an exhilarating dragon boat race in which Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and Chinese Consul General in Cape Town, You Wenze, participated alongside the various Dragon Boat clubs in Cape Town. Image: Ian Landsberg / Independent Newspapers Despite ending up with his shirt and pants soaked in water, Hill-Lewis said that he loved it and that it was very fun. 'I love participating in events like this. It's always fun just to get involved, to try and experience it for yourself. 'So I must say, it's the first time I've ever put foot on a dragon boat, and I loved it. It was great fun. 'I really got into the gees and got competitive, as I always do,' he said. 'And I was pleased to win.' The mayor said that such events are very lovely as Cape Town has a significant Chinese community, and he noted that there's a risk of the communities keeping to themselves. 'Events that bring people out of their homes, bring people together, and let you experience Chinese food like the ones I tasted, and let you experience some beautiful tea, some Chinese medicine, games, the lovely Dragon Boat Festival, you name it, are very important.' Wenze said the event allows for a cultural exchange and enables people-to-people understanding. 'The Dragon Boat Festival has a long history, about more than 2,000 years. So it's great to see the Chinese community, together with the local communities, and some international tourists, when they come together to celebrate this traditional Chinese festival. 'It's great as it speaks to the diversity of cultures… You can see a lot of Chinese food and Chinese culture. So this is a very colourful, very splendid event.' The mayor was given a tour around the festival by the Consul General, and he also got his hands dirty competing in a few games, and even testing how good his aim was at basketball. Image: Theolin Tembo Dr Iris Wu, co-director of the Confucius Institute for Chinese Medicine at the University of the Western Cape, Chinese Consul General in Cape Town, You Wenze, and Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis. Image: Theolin Tembo/Independent Newspapers Speaking about the boat racing, Wenze said that it is great to see the unity, the coordination, and how people are sitting in the same boat, having to paddle through the water at the same time. Salie added that the clubs do enjoy putting on the show and having a good time. He said that their most active clubs are at the V&A Waterfront and Century City. 'It's Monday through Friday, where we've got clubs on the water after five, so between those two places, it's one of those things where you stand on the side and you can just say, can I get on? And in most cases, you'll get signed up. 'It's a participation sport where they are keen to get new paddlers on board, and just having people see what it is, is a big step in the right direction for us, because it's almost not understood. 'They're like, okay, is it like canoeing? Is it like kayaking? Is it like supping? Is it like whatever? But it's not, it's 20 people working together towards the same goal. And it's phenomenal.'
