About Dragon Boat Racing

The Cultural heritage and religious beliefs of Dragon Boat racing dates back to an ancient legend more than 2,000 years ago honoring the memory of Qu Yuan, a poet and court minister. Loved by the people, but disliked by the emperor for advocating reforms, he was banished from the court. In exile, he wandered the countryside writing poetry about his concern for his country and people until he ultimately drowned himself in the Mi Lo River.

Legend has it that local fisherman raced out to the river to try to save him, unfortunately failed. To prevent his body  from being eaten by fish, they beat the water furiously with their paddles. When they were unable to find Qu  Yuan, they threw rice dumplings, wrapped in silk, into the water as a sacrifices to the spirit. Since then, every year on the fifth day of the fifth month, teams of paddlers re-enact that frantic rush to save Qu Yuan. Powering long, narrow boats with the ferocious heads of the dragons mounted on the prow through the water to the frenzied, rhythmic beating of drums at the Tuen Ng (Dragon Boat) Festival in Hong Kong, also known as Poet's Day. It is not known how the dragon boat prow came into being, but it is thought that, over the years, the fierce-looking boat-heads were added to ward off evil water spirits.

Now more than 2,000 years later, the sport of dragon boat racing has really taken off. Dragon boat racing is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. The sport has always been popular in the Pacific Rim, but the growth of the sport in the Western world over the last five years has been nothing short of phenomenon. Find a city with a stretch of water and chances are you will find a dragon boat race: Hong Kong, Sydney, New York, London, Wellington, Vancouver. A quarter of a million people turn out annually for the Toronto race. Sweden alone has over 400 crews.

Dragon boat racing requires stamina dexterity and commitment. But it is also a friendly, easy to learn activity, which appeals to adults and young persons alike. Dragon boating is a great means for team building, getting fit or just having fun in the water. There are various sizes of dragon boats and number of crew they seat. In the United States, Taiwanese's style dragon boat racing is more common on the West Coast and the East Coast. A Hong Kong dragon boat is a slim, 39-foot long, teak wood racer with a dragon's head at the prow and a trail at the stern. Decorated in traditional Chinese colors, it seats a crew of 18-20 paddlers, a helmsperson, and sitting by the dragon's head at the front of the boat, the drummer sets the pace. Timing is extremely crucial.

Teams race along a straight course in an assigned lane varying from 250 - 1,000 meters with an average time of one to six minutes. The goal is to generate enough speed to cause the boat rise high and smooth above the water by a cresting wave beneath the bow. Typically, a seasoned dragon boat crew will have a rate of 70-80 strokes per minute and can travel over the water at 3-4 meters per second.

Lasted Updated: 03/17/2002 09:14:29 PM