Local dragon boat teams in Diejiao Village of south China's Guangdong Province are intensifying training for an annual competition involving high-speed drifting and sharp turns in narrow canals, as the annual Dragon Boat Festival approaches.

The Diejiao dragon boat race, boasting a history of over 500 years, is renowned for its thrilling and hazardous course, set amid a maze of narrow and winding canals. Dragon boats need to "drift" in order to get through the corners quickly and safely, presenting great challenges to the racers.
During the dragon boat race, teams must maintain high speed while skillfully navigating various bends, which greatly tests the racers' techniques and teamwork. These natural challenges have also become the biggest attraction for spectators. This is Diejiao's version of Formula 1 on water.
With this year's Dragon Boat Festival just around the corner, the teams have been training rigorously, mastering the technical skills required to navigate the challenging watercourses. The teams would practice their skills, pushing their boats through tight turns and refining their techniques, deep into the night.
"I made a special trip today from Foshan's Sanshui [District], taking my kid all the way here to experience the local culture of Diejiao. The drifting here is absolutely spectacular," said Liu Beijiang, a tourist.
"I have loved Diejiao's dragon boat culture for about five or six years now. I feel very excited, so I've taken a stool and a ladder with me to capture these scenes and help promote the local culture," said Tang Ying, another tourist.
In 2026, the Dragon Boat Festival falls on June 19.
The Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday to commemorate the life and death of Qu Yuan (340 BC-278 BC), who committed suicide by wading into the Miluo River in protest against the wrongful policies of the feudal dynasty in his times. The local people raced their boats to find the beloved Qu in the river and threw balls of sticky rice into the river to keep the fish from eating his body. Since then, people have been celebrating the festival by holding dragon boat races and eating sticky rice dumplings, or zongzi, for thousands of years.