Dragon boat festivities return to south China

The dragon boat tradition returned in parts of China on Friday for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic in late 2019.

The historic Lychee Bay scenic area in the southern Chinese manufacturing hub of Guangzhou staged boat displays and other scaled-back celebrations to mark the holiday that commemorates the death more than 2,200 years ago of revered poet and government minister Qu Yuan.

Along with dragon boat displays and races, the holiday is marked by community gatherings and the enthusiastic consumption of steamed rice dumplings cooked with meat, peanuts and other ingredients and wrapped in green leaves bound with string.

The dragon boat tradition in Pantang Village dates back 500 years and residents a century ago began displaying the boats as works of folk art and craftsmanship.