Evolving from a folk custom, racing is the most important event during the Dragon Boat Festival in the Lingnan region, which roughly refers to the South China region, including Guangdong province. With a history of more than 1,000 years, its inheritance and development embody folk culture and the spirit of teamwork.

Zeng Yingfeng, vice-president of the Culture Association of Guangdong province and an expert in Cantonese folk culture, said the dragon boat paddling custom is not a fixed pattern of behavior. The significance attributed to it is the result of continuous creation by the people based on their own ideas and local resources.

He said that dragon boats are still handmade and rely on manual rowing to this day, a tradition that has lasted for thousands of years. Dragon boat racing represents the pragmatism and unity of the people of Lingnan. This spirit runs deep and is passed down from generation to generation.

Dragon boat racing is one of the most traditional, participatory and inheritable folk activities in Lingnan, making it an emotionally significant link for overseas Chinese, Zeng added.

Historical records show that during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907-960), there were dragon boat race activities in the West Lake inside the then Guangzhou city. By the time of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), dragon boat racing during the Dragon Boat Festival in Guangzhou had reached a high level of development.

During the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, the tradition then became widespread.

Currently, there are 26 intangible cultural heritage projects at the provincial-level or higher related to dragon boats in Guangdong.

The traditional dragon boat paddling ceremony is generally consistent across the Pearl River Delta region. It mainly consists of customs, such as eating zongzi, a type of rice dumpling, admiring scenery and competing for the flag.

Among them, the most extensive and grand ceremony involving the participation of the public is admiring the scenery and competing for the flag. Admiring the scenery refers to visiting the villages where one's kinsmen or distant relatives live by paddling dragon boats.

Admiring the scenery activities occur in various villages, according to a customary schedule. It includes processes such as awakening the dragon, worshipping the gods with water, rowing the boat and eating rice dumplings.

Competing for the flag is the attempt to win the championship in dragon boat racing and takes place after the warm-up of admiring the scenery. The competition procedures are complex. Usually, all participating dragon boats gather in one place for the final competition.

In traditional agrarian societies, the number of dragon boats owned by each clan and their competition record reflects the prosperity of a clan and the degree of unity within a community.

Dragon boat racing has transitioned from a spontaneous traditional folk custom to become an organized competitive event. According to records, relevant departments in Guangzhou began organizing dragon boat races or performances as early as 1953.

The number of participating dragon boats increased year by year, reaching 60 boats by 1961, with the racecourse mostly from Ersha Island on the Pearl River to the Haijiao Red House.

Since 1980, dragon boat racing has been listed as a Chinese national sports event. In 1994, the Guangzhou government designated the fifth day of the fifth lunar month as the Guangzhou Dragon Boating Festival. Every year, dragon boats from countries and regions such as the United States, Australia and Singapore compete on the Pearl River.

On Aug 3, 2021, at the canoeing venue of the Tokyo Olympics, Chinese dragon boats made their debut as a demonstration event, marking the start of the process of dragon boat racing being included in the Olympics.

Dragon boat paddling shares many similarities with rowing and canoeing in terms of technique, and these parallels can open a door for foreign sports enthusiasts with a strong interest in Eastern culture to learn more about China and its customs.