Dragon Boat Races and Iron Fireworks: This Festival Is Lighting Up Social Media

On May 29, the "Dragon Leaps Over Guanhe River, Riding High on Zongzi" Dragon Boat Festival event—part of Huangyan’s "ZUI Huangyan" Intangible Cultural Heritage Year—kicked off along the Yongning River, igniting citywide excitement with dragon boat races and ICH performances.

Ten dragon boat teams (including squads from Wenzhou, Lishui, and Taizhou) debuted to the sound of gongs in Dragon Soars Over China. After the eye-dotting ceremony, boats shot through the water like arrows, accompanied by thundering chants and drums. Six local Taizhou teams showed fierce spirit, with cheers erupting from the shore. The Yuhuan Team and Wenzhou Minglong Team won the 22-person and 12-person races, respectively. "We trained five hours daily to honor this folk tradition," said Wenzhou team captain Lu Makang.

The Huangyan Guanhe Women’s

Dragon Boat Team stood out in vibrant uniforms, moving in perfect sync. "We’re breaking the tradition that ‘women don’t board dragon boats’ to showcase female strength," said captain Zhang Yaping.

Onlooker Yang Yuqin snapped photos of splashing waves, saying, "I’ll post these to let everyone feel the excitement!" Parent Yan Fangfang brought her child, hoping to "pass down ICH from generation to generation."

In the ICH display area, "fire-based" spectacles like iron flower performances stunned crowds: craftsmen catapulted scalding iron liquid into the air, creating cascades of sparks like falling star rivers, drawing continuous gasps.

The event runs until June 1, with upcoming activities including riverside ICH wellness markets (TCM diagnostics, medicinal cuisine tastings) and a citywide zongzi-making competition, inviting residents to savor traditional warmth amid the fragrance of zongye (reed leaves).