In Wujing, Zhejiang, there are dragon boating at night, when lanterns are hung up for competition. From 1982, in Wutongqiao Sichuan province, there has been night dragon boat race. Electric lights are installed on the boats, fireworks are let off, and candles also lit to float in water, making a very splendid scene.
There is also land dragon boat, an activity organized on land to imitate the race in water. Annuals of Nanchang records, “On May 5 there is the game of land dragon boat. Players would pick up objects and pass on flower with drum beating. People pack up the avenues, ladies would hand out money for blessing, and boys would release firecrackers to expel evils.” In Wuyi county Zhejiang province, there used to be the custom that people push a boat on land on Dragon Boat Festival, which people believed would repulse sinister creatures. There is the custom to row land boat in Foshan, Dongguan, Xinyi in Guangdong province, which is actually a dance, but it is not necessarily on Dragon Boat Festival. In autumn, the land dragon boat game in Foshan is the most amazing. Annuals of Huizhou records, “On May 5, people would view divine boats and dispel spirits. The boat is made of bamboo, and painted like a loach. Twelve people would act as gods, who stand on the boat to go through streets.” There are also small land dragon boats for children as toys.
There are dragon boat songs to go with racing to exaggerate the atmosphere. In Zigui Hubei province, the songs have regular established tones, and the lyrics combined the folk songs and work songs, which is loud and powerful, the heritage of “raise oars and sing in chorus”. The dragon boat songs in Nanxiong county Guangdong province would be sung from April when the dragon boat is put into water to Dragon Boat Festival, with much extensive contents. Dragon boat songs circulating in Guilin and Lingui of Guangxi province, are sung together by rowers under the conducting of a person, the contents of which are mostly related to dragon boat and Dragon Boat Festival. In Collection of Guangxi Folk Music, there is a dragon boat song from Lingui county, with quite clear rhythms and exciting sense, and very touching effects.
Now, we would spend sometime to introduce female dragon boat race. In the past, in many places women were not allowed to participate in dragon boat race, believing that it would be inauspicious if ladies touch the boat. However, now there are more and more female dragon boat teams in many places. The pretty and smart female players race for championship, not a bit less interesting than males.
Like in Spring Festival there are dragon and phoenix dancing, Dragon Boat Festivalhas dragon boat and phoenix boat. The origin of phoenix boat is, as what we have mentioned above, from the ancient bird boat. In the ancient imperial courts, there were phoenix boat, and in folk community there were phoenix boat racing. Yuenang records, “Dragon boat is to commemorate virtuous ministers, while phoenix boat is to worship goddess, but all regard May 5 as their grand meetings.” In 1930, Shiqiao village Panyu accumulated enormous fund to build a large phoenix boat, which is 10 zhang in length, 3 zhang in width, its head and tail both stretching high up, with palaces painted on its body. This boat is to worship goddess, and often travel in water towns. In 1964, there appeared phoenix yacht race in Hong Kong. This yacht is a little bit shorter in length, and can accommodate 16 players, decorated with phoenix head and tail, all participants are female players. This is indeed a good game, to complete the implication of harmonious dragon and phoenix.
(Source: bjchinese.bjedu.cn)
