2026 Fuzhou International Dragon Boat Invitational Tournament and “Belt and Road” International Youth Dragon Boat Invitation Competition held in Fuzhou

The 2026 Fuzhou International Dragon Boat Invitational Tournament and the “Belt and Road” International Youth Dragon Boat Invitational Competition was held at the Dragon Boat Pond in Puxia River, Cangshan District on the morning of June 19, presenting a spectacular Dragon Boat Festival event to spectators.

The event attracted the participation of about 2,000 contestants belonging to 68 teams from 43 countries and regions in Asia, Europe, America and Africa. As what we have found in the site, Fuzhou is able to host large-scale events in such a professional way, traditional dragon boat culture is gaining international appeal, and dragon boat races are liked and participated by an increasing number of people.

Groups in the event were designed with deliberation. International teams and teams from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan traveled all the way to attend the event. In the “Belt and Road” youth group, younger contestants speaking different languages rowed in the same boat. In the group composed of prefectures and cities in Fujian Province, fierce competition was staged. Exceptional contestants in the elite group were put into the spotlight. The group consisting of universities and colleges was brimming with vigor and vitality. Spectators along the shore couldn’t help feeling amazed at the large dragon boat steered by 36 contestants in the traditional group.

(Text/photo by Chen Junyi, Zhang Xuyang)