Dragon Boat Races (龙舟) · 25 events · 17 provinces
Crews race at the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, and in the south the boats also carry rites that have nothing to do with the race.
25 of them here, grouped by region. The last column gives the months each one falls in, then the lunar date where there is one. 12 are community rites rather than public events. See all five kinds, or the background on festivals.
1 event
North China (华北)
| Event | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Jinhai Lake Dragon Boat Race (北京金海湖龙舟赛)A large dragon boat race at Jinhai Lake, Pinggu, and one of the few of its size in northern China.Partly ticketed | Beijing | May to Jun · lunar day 5 (五月初五前后) |
1 event
Northeast China (东北)
| Event | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Songhua River Dragon Boat Race (哈尔滨松花江龙舟赛)A large river race at Harbin on the Songhua, and one of the few of its scale in the north.Free | Harbin, Heilongjiang | May to Jun · lunar day 5 (五月初五前后) |
7 events
East China (华东)
| Event | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Wuhu Dragon Boat Race (安徽芜湖龙舟赛)The race where the Qingyi river meets the Yangtze at Wuhu. Village crews, with both banks open to watch from.a community rite, not a show · Free · Partly open · The banks of the Qingyi and the Yangtze are open to watch from. The village boats are village undertakings. | Wuhu, Anhui | May to Jun · lunar day 5 (五月初五) |
| Minjiang Dragon Boat Race (福州闽江龙舟赛)Fuzhou’s races run from the first to the fifth of the fifth month, including the boats that visit related villages, a custom particular to the Fuzhou dialect area.a community rite, not a show · Free · Partly open · Both banks of the Min river are open to watch from. Village boats keep the custom of visiting related villages. | Fuzhou, Fujian | May to Jun · lunar day 1 to 5 (五月初一至初五) |
| Jinji Lake Dragon Boat Race (苏州金鸡湖龙舟赛)An open-water race on Jinji Lake with marked spectator areas, run as a city event rather than a village one.Free | Suzhou, Jiangsu | May to Jun · lunar day 5 (五月初五前后) |
| Ganzhou Dragon Boat Race (江西赣州龙舟赛)The race where the Zhang and Gong rivers meet at Ganzhou, run by Hakka villages. The banks are open, and the crews and banquets are village affairs.a community rite, not a show · Free · Partly open · Both banks of the Zhang and Gong rivers are open to watch from. The Hakka village boats are village undertakings. | Ganzhou, Jiangxi | May to Jun · lunar day 5 (五月初五前后) |
| Suzhou Creek Dragon Boat Race (上海苏州河龙舟赛)A city race on Suzhou Creek with viewing areas along the bank, held around the fifth of the fifth month.Free | Shanghai | May to Jun · lunar day 5 (五月初五前后) |
| Wenzhou Dragon Boat Race (浙江温州龙舟赛)Races through the dense canal network of the Wenrui Tanghe, in the Ouyue tradition, from the first to the fifth. Inter-village rules are strict and locally enforced.a community rite, not a show · Free · Partly open · Both banks of the Wenrui Tanghe are open to watch from. The inter-village rules governing the boats are strict. | Wenzhou, Zhejiang | May to Jun · lunar day 1 to 5 (五月初一至初五) |
| Xixi Wetland Dragon Boat Race (杭州西溪湿地龙舟赛)The race through the Xixi wetland channels, part of the Jiangcun dragon boat gathering. Park admission applies, and there is a viewing area at Shentankou.part rite, part public event · Ticketed · Park admission applies. The race can be watched from the viewing area at Shentankou. | Hangzhou, Zhejiang | May to Jun · lunar day 5 (五月初五) |
3 events
Central China (华中)
| Event | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Donghu Dragon Boat Race (武汉东湖龙舟赛)The dragon boat race in the East Lake scenic area, run as a city event on the fifth of the fifth month.Free | Wuhan, Hubei | May to Jun · lunar day 5 (五月初五) |
| Juzizhou Dragon Boat Race (长沙橘子洲龙舟赛)The race on the Xiang river at Orange Isle, with the city as the backdrop, on the fifth of the fifth month.Free | Changsha, Hunan | May to Jun · lunar day 5 (五月初五) |
| Miluo Dragon Boat Race (湖南汨罗龙舟赛)The Miluo river, where the dragon boat tradition is traced from, with a sacrifice to Qu Yuan alongside the racing. The rite is held in a marked area; the banks are open.a community rite, not a show · Free · Partly open · Both banks of the Miluo are open to watch from. The sacrifice to Qu Yuan is confined to a designated area. | Yueyang, Hunan | May to Jun · lunar day 5 (五月初五) |
9 events
South China (华南)
| Event | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Diejiao Dragon Boat Drift Race (佛山叠滘龙舟漂移赛)The drift race at Diejiao, where crews take narrow bends at speed; the local name for it translates as water F1. The channel sides are narrow and railed, and the rails are not to be climbed.a community rite, not a show · Free · Partly open · Both sides of the channel are open to watch from, but the space is narrow. Do not climb the railings. Some villages take bookings for the banquet. | Foshan, Guangdong | May to Jun · lunar day 5 (五月初五前后) |
| Liede Dragon Boat Race (广州猎德龙舟赛)A village race in Tianhe, Guangzhou, known for drifting the boats through bends. The banquet afterwards is a village affair; some years it can be booked, but confirm ahead. Watching from the bank is open.a community rite, not a show · Free · Partly open · The banks are open to watch from. The dragon boat banquet is a village meal; in some years places can be booked, but confirm in advance. Keep clear of the boarding area. | Guangzhou, Guangdong | May to Jun · lunar day 5 (五月初五) |
| Shatian Dragon Boat Race (广东东莞沙田龙舟赛)The race at Shatian, where fresh and salt water meet, in a town known for building the boats as well as racing them. The official race has spectator areas.part rite, part public event · Partly ticketed · The official race has spectator areas. Shatian is known for building dragon boats as well as racing them. | Dongguan, Guangdong | May to Jun · lunar day 5 (五月初五) |
| Shiqiao Dragon Boat Race (广州番禺市桥龙舟赛)A multi-village race on the Shiqiao river, Panyu, over the third to fifth of the fifth month, including the boats that visit related villages. The banquets are village events.a community rite, not a show · Free · Partly open · Both banks of the Shiqiao river are open to watch from. The village banquets are village events. | Guangzhou, Guangdong | May to Jun · lunar days 3 to 5 (五月初三至初五) |
| Songgang Dragon Boat Race (深圳松岗龙舟赛)A Hakka village race on the Maozhou river, Bao’an. The bank is open to watch from, and the banquet afterwards is for the village.a community rite, not a show · Free · Partly open · Both banks of the Maozhou river are open to watch from. The banquet afterwards is a village event. | Shenzhen, Guangdong | May to Jun · lunar day 5 (五月初五) |
| Wanjiang Dragon Boat Race (东莞万江龙舟赛)Dongguan’s dragon boat days run from the first to the fifth of the fifth month, with an official race that has spectator areas and village visiting races watched from the bank.part rite, part public event · Partly ticketed · The official race has spectator areas. The village races are watched from the bank. | Dongguan, Guangdong | May to Jun · lunar day 1 to 5 (五月初一至初五) |
| Yongjiang Dragon Boat Race (南宁邕江龙舟赛)The race on the Yong river at Nanning, in the Zhuang tradition. Free viewing areas are set along both banks and entered by marked routes; the course is closed to the public.part rite, part public event · Free · Free viewing areas are set along both banks and entered by the marked routes. The course and the boarding areas are for crews only. | Nanning, Guangxi | May to Jun · lunar day 5 (五月初五) |
| Stanley Dragon Boat Race (香港赤柱龙舟赛)Recorded as Hong Kong’s largest dragon boat race, on Stanley beach, with a substantial international entry.Free | Hong Kong | May to Jun · lunar day 5 (五月初五) |
| Tai O Dragon Boat Parade (香港大澳龙舟游涌)The boat procession at Tai O, where deity statues are carried by water through the stilt village, a fishing community rite rather than a race. The waterside is open; the ritual itself is on the boats.a community rite, not a show · Free · Partly open · The village waterfront is open to watch from. The water-borne rite itself is for those on the boats. | Hong Kong | May to Jun · lunar day 5 (五月初五) |
4 events
Southwest China (西南)
| Event | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Hechuan Dragon Boat Race (重庆合川龙舟赛)The race on the Jialing at Hechuan, where three rivers meet. The riverside walkways are free to watch from, and the course and boarding areas are for crews.part rite, part public event · Free · The riverside walkways on both banks are free to watch from. The course and the boarding areas are for crews only. | Chongqing | May to Jun · lunar day 5 (五月初五) |
| Zhenyuan Dragon Boat Race (贵州镇远龙舟赛)The race on the Wuyang river below Zhenyuan old town, and one of the major traditional events in southeastern Guizhou. Village crews, with the banks open.a community rite, not a show · Free · Partly open · Both banks of the Wuyang river are open to watch from. The village boats are collective village undertakings. | Qiandongnan, Guizhou | May to Jun · lunar day 5 (五月初五) |
| Jinjiang Dragon Boat Race (成都锦江龙舟赛)A city race on the Jin river in Chengdu, with folk events running alongside it.Free | Chengdu, Sichuan | May to Jun · lunar day 5 (五月初五前后) |
| Erhai Dragon Boat Race (云南洱海龙舟赛)The Bai dragon boat race on Erhai, run by lakeside villages. The shore is open to watch from, and the boats are a village matter.a community rite, not a show · Free · Partly open · The lake shore is open to watch from. The Bai village boats are village undertakings. | Dali, Yunnan | May to Jun · lunar day 5 (五月初五) |
Being There on the Day
Most of these move against the calendar on your phone, and the date is only fixed once the lunar year is set. Tell our local team your travel dates and they will say which of these fall inside them, and which are rites where a visitor stands at the edge rather than in the middle.