The 2024 Changsha Dragon Boat Invitational Competition and the Wangcheng District Dragon Boat Culture Festival will take place at the Qianlong Lake Eco-tourism Resort from June 8 to 10. More than 50 dragon boat teams from all over the country will compete in Changsha and showcase their skills.

A thrilling dragon boat race on Qianlong Lake. (File photo)

In addition to local dragon boat teams in Changsha, this year's competition will bring together various teams from outside the city, including the Daoxian team featuring more than 400 rowers in a 100-meter giant dragon boat, the Nanjing and Shaoxing teams from the Yangtze River Delta region, and the Liuzhou team from Guangxi.

Children run free and fly kites on the lawn by Qianlong Lake, Wangcheng District. (Photo/Zou Lin)

The main arena of the competition is Qianlong Lake, featuring a water area of 2,800 mu (133.33 hectares) and a 6-kilometer running track encircling the lake. The venue also offers nearly 10,000 mu (666.67 hectares) of green grass. Furthermore, the facilities and equipment available at the venue include everything from food, accommodation, and travel to shopping and entertainment. Qianlong Lake is one of the eight standard dragon boat racing sites in China and a national dragon boat demonstration base. The lake has frequently hosted large-scale dragon boat races, and has become a landmark dragon boat racing base in Changsha and across Hunan.

A fish-catching contest. (File photo)

Apart from the dragon boat race, Qianlong Lake will also launch a vibrant tapestry of activities, including:

- The Qianlong Lake Rice-Field National Games from May 25 to 26,  June 1 to 2, and June 8 to 10. Visitors will have the chance to experience various fun sports.

- A kite show from June 1 to 2 where visitors can watch the performance of a super-long dragon-shaped kite and participate in a prize-winning challenge.

- A China-chic fair starting on June 8, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the charm of traditional culture. Visitors can taste delicious zongzi, pyramid-shaped dumplings made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves, and they can participate in a quiz for special Duanwu Festival gifts. They can also wear traditional Chinese costumes, taste local snacks such as tangyou baba (glutinous rice dumpling fried in sweet oil) and small bowls of sweet wine.  Visitors can also try their hand at sugar painting, dough sculpture, Hunan embroidery, paper cutting, lacquer-coated fan making, and other intangible cultural heritage items.

- A beer and music festival from 20:00 to 22:00 on June 8 and 9. Visitors can drink beer while enjoying live music performances by a youth band.