When the formal race starts, the atmosphere is much exciting. Tang poet Zhang Jianfeng composed an poem Song of Boat Racing, “… on the bank there are many ladies who are in their best dressing, scent from their cosmetics floats far, while their hair pins and ornament shine like cold swords. After three drum beatings red flags separate, and two dragons shoot out on water surface. The oars cut out waves like thousands of swords, while loud drum rhythm sound like hundreds of thunders. When the goal is close the rhythm of the drum is busy, two dragons just dash toward their aim. Spectators on bank soar with cheers, boats rush violently to shock lantern and festoons. The first boat has hit the target, leaving the defeated behind rowing in vain. ” These poem lines have displayed the grand scene of dragon boat racing. On ordinary days, ladies would not leave their own homes, but now they all come to enjoy this big occasion, thus the expression silver hairpins shine under the sun. Under the direction of drum and red flags, dragon boats shoot to come, with oars like flying swords and drum beats like thunders. The goal is decorated with colored ribbons, prominent for the players to see. All dragon boats are dashing towards the goal…Modern boat racing bears similar scenes, only that the rules are even stricter. In recent years, dragon boat races are held home and abroad, attracting many players from different countries.
There are other activities during boat racing. For instance, dragon boat traveling through towns and villages is one of them. During this time, people row their boats to nearby villages to play and assemble. There are various rowing methods for dragon boats, much like a show. For example, in Guangzhou, the rowers put their oars deep into water, and pull out suddenly to splash out water. People at the head and tail of the boat would stamp their feet in rhythms, so that the boat would rise and fall like a dragon swimming on water. In Yuhang County Zhejiang Province, sometimes people would stamp the boat tail lower, and the bow would be raised high, the waves around the bow would spurted out like through the dragon mouth, like it is pouring rain with magic.
Sometimes, people use yachts to race. Benjingxun in Huainanzi notes, “Bird headed dragon boat, floating on water for entertainment.” In this game, people row away dragon boat, and play music while rowing. Menglianglu records in Hangzhou of Song dynasty, “There are six dragon boats playing in the heart of lake.” These dragon boats playing on lake are just one kind of painted yacht.
Emperors of Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties all had pleasures to seat on bank and view dragon boats on lake. Old History of Tang Dynasty records that both Emperor Muzong and Jingzong took part in viewing boat racing. Volume seven of Records of Dreams in East Capital has recorded that the emperor of North Song dynasty sat in palace to view dragon boat racing on Jingming Lake. These boats include colored boats, music boats, small boats, painted boats, small dragon boats, tiger head boats, etc., as well as large dragon boat as long as forty zhang. Except the large dragon boat, all of the rest boats would list in line to race for the goal. The painting Goal Racing in Jingming Lake describes this very scene. In Ming dynasty, emperors would sit in Ziguangge in Middle and South Sea in the imperial city to view warriors ridding horses and shoot arrows. In Qing dynasty, boat racing was held in Fuhai of Garden of Perfection and Brightness, for which Emperor Qianlong and Jiaqing had both showed up.
(Source: bjchinese.bjedu.cn)
