Liao Kangni participates in the 2026 Hunan Dragon Boat Super League as a member of the No.6 Luojiang Township Dragon Boat Team in Miluo City, central China's Hunan Province, June 18, 2026. The 25-year-old Liao Kangni is a new recruit for the local dragon boat team, but dragon boat racing has been passed down in his family for four generations. Having grown up to the beat of dragon boat drums by the river, Liao finally got the chance to paddle in the race.

From early Friday morning, waterways crisscrossing Chinese cities, towns and villages have been reverberating with the rhythmic splash of paddles and the beat of drums as people celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival.

While this centuries-old sport traditionally honors Qu Yuan, a legendary poet and minister in the State of Chu during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), who drowned himself in the Miluo River after being slandered and then exiled, its modern-day form continues to bring people together and, in particular, strengthens community bonds.

From June 18 to 19, the Miluo River hosted the finals of Hunan Province's top dragon boat league. This year's competition, which began in April with nine regional qualifiers, brought together the best crews from across the province for a thrilling showdown.

Off the water, the race is also big business. Miluo is home to nearly 20 boat-building workshops, producing over 5,000 dragon boats a year, mostly sold across China and to Southeast Asia.

Today, Miluo is weaving together sport, culture, and tourism to turn its status as the "birthplace of the Dragon Boat Festival" into a living brand. By blending intangible heritage with competitive racing, the ancient river is writing a vibrant new chapter. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

Xu Guisheng carves a dragon head at a workshop in Miluo City, central China's Hunan Province, June 9, 2026. Over 60 years old, Xu is the representative inheritor of the Miluo dragon boat making technique, a Hunan provincial intangible cultural heritage item. The craft has been passed down through five generations in his family, with Xu as the fifth-generation inheritor. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

Liao Kangni (1st L) and his father Liao Hongbo (2nd L) row a dragon boat on the Miluo River, central China's Hunan Province, June 9, 2026, as his grandfather Liao Minming (1st R) watches from the riverside. 25-year-old Liao Kangni is a new recruit for the local dragon boat team, but dragon boat racing has been passed down in his family for four generations. Having grown up to the beat of dragon boat drums by the river, Liao finally got the chance to paddle in the race. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

Liao Kangni (back) rows a dragon boat with his father on the Miluo River in central China's Hunan Province, June 9, 2026. 25-year-old Liao Kangni is a new recruit for the local dragon boat team, but dragon boat racing has been passed down in his family for four generations. Having grown up to the beat of dragon boat drums by the river, Liao finally got the chance to paddle in the race. (Xinhua/Zhai Yifan)

Zeng Tao participates in a dragon boat training with his teammates in the rain on the Miluo River in central China's Hunan Province, June 8, 2026. Zeng, who had been working in Angola, made a special trip back to Miluo this year to participate in the 2026 Hunan Dragon Boat Super League. (Xinhua/Zhai Yifan)

Liao Kangni (L) rows a dragon boat with his father (R) on the Miluo River in central China's Hunan Province, June 9, 2026. 25-year-old Liao Kangni is a new recruit for the local dragon boat team, but dragon boat racing has been passed down in his family for four generations. Having grown up to the beat of dragon boat drums by the river, Liao finally got the chance to paddle in the race. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

An aerial drone photo taken on June 18, 2026 shows a scene of the finals of the 2026 Hunan Dragon Boat Super League on the Miluo River in central China's Hunan Province. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

The audience watch the finals of the 2026 Hunan Dragon Boat Super League by the riverside of the Miluo River in central China's Hunan Province, June 18, 2026. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

This file photo taken in the early 1980s shows people competing in dragon boat races on Miluo River in central China's Hunan Province. (Xinhua)

A craftsman makes a dragon boat in a workshop in Miluo City, central China's Hunan Province, June 9, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhai Yifan)

Liao Kangni (L) participates in a dragon boat training with his teammates on the Miluo River in central China's Hunan Province, June 8, 2026. 25-year-old Liao Kangni is a new recruit for the local dragon boat team, but dragon boat racing has been passed down in his family for four generations. Having grown up to the beat of dragon boat drums by the river, Liao finally got the chance to paddle in the race. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

Zeng Tao (L) participates in a dragon boat training with his teammates in the rain on the Miluo River in central China's Hunan Province, June 8, 2026. Zeng, who had been working in Angola, made a special trip back to Miluo this year to participate in the 2026 Hunan Dragon Boat Super League. (Xinhua/Zhai Yifan)

An aerial drone photo taken on June 18, 2026 shows a scene of the finals of the 2026 Hunan Dragon Boat Super League on Miluo River in central China's Hunan Province. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

This file photo taken in the early 1980s shows people watching dragon boat races on the bank of the Miluo River in central China's Hunan Province. (Xinhua)

This photo taken on June 17, 2026 shows an ebony-carved dragon boat at a Dragon Boat Festival fair in Miluo City, central China's Hunan Province. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

People row dragon boat on the Miluo River in central China's Hunan Province, June 9, 2026. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

Xu Guisheng carves a dragon head at a workshop in Miluo City, central China's Hunan Province, June 9, 2026. Over 60 years old, Xu is the representative inheritor of the Miluo dragon boat making technique, a Hunan provincial intangible cultural heritage item. The craft has been passed down through five generations in his family, with Xu as the fifth-generation inheritor. (Xinhua/Zhai Yifan)

An aerial drone photo taken on June 18, 2026 shows a scene of the finals of the 2026 Hunan Dragon Boat Super League on the Miluo River in central China's Hunan Province. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

Liao Kangni (3rd R front) participates in a dragon boat training with his teammates on the Miluo River in central China's Hunan Province, June 8, 2026. 25-year-old Liao Kangni is a new recruit for the local dragon boat team, but dragon boat racing has been passed down in his family for four generations. Having grown up to the beat of dragon boat drums by the river, Liao finally got the chance to paddle in the race. (Xinhua/Zhai Yifan)

People row dragon boat on the Miluo River in central China's Hunan Province, June 9, 2026. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

This file photo taken in the early 1980s shows people competing in dragon boat races on the Miluo River in central China's Hunan Province. (Xinhua)