British Dragon Boat Racing Association director finds spirit of Duanwu in south China

What happens when a foreign dragon boat athlete meets China's Duanwu Festival? Colin Smith, director of the British Dragon Boat Racing Association, recently visited China for the second time.

But his trip looked very different from his first. While his last visit was all about racing, this time he traded his paddle for Guangzhou's drumbeats and gong echoes, experiencing the festival like a local.

Colin Smith, director of the British Dragon Boat Racing Association, interacts with a dragon boat rower in Liede village, Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, June 19, 2026. (People's Daily Online/Wu Yuyangyang)

Stepping into Liede village, Smith stumbled upon the annual "Zhaojing" ceremony, a grand dragon boat gathering. With banners fluttering and hundreds of boats converging on the river, he was awestruck by the century-old bonds woven into this tradition. The aroma of the Dragon Boat Feast was the perfect finishing touch, carrying the warmth and hospitality of Lingnan's water towns.

In Yangji village, a different scene captivated him: a parent-child dragon boat event in full swing. Children gripped miniature paddles, sitting shoulder to shoulder with their elders, dipping their paddles in an uneven, clumsy rhythm. In that moment, the passing of dragon boat culture from one generation to the next felt tangible, right before his eyes.

Colin Smith, director of the British Dragon Boat Racing Association, experiences a parent-child dragon boat event in Yangji village, Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, June 20, 2026. (People's Daily Online/Wu Yuyangyang)

To Smith, everything here simply brimmed with life.

"In the U.K., dragon boating is mostly a competitive sport; it doesn't have these rich cultural traditions. That's exactly where we still have room to grow," he noted. In China, Smith explained, dragon boating is a force of cultural unity. People row as one, like a big family, all pulling toward the same goal. This spirit has long seeped into daily life along the rivers and taken root in everyone's heart.

"We must preserve this tradition and show the world where dragon boat culture comes from and how it should be," Smith said.

He voiced hope that he could bring the joy and festive spirit of Duanwu back home, starting with his own community and gradually spreading it across Britain through cultural exchange.