Dragon Boat Race Celebrates Overseas Chinese Relations, One Family on Both Sides Talks Sincerely ｜2023 Cross-Strait (Jimei) Dragon Boat Culture Festival Opening

A family on both sides of the Taiwan Strait celebrates the Dragon Boat Festival and competes in dragon boats in a century old Xuecun Village. On the morning of June 3rd, the 2023 Cross Strait (Jimei) Dragon Boat Culture Festival and the 16th "Jiageng Cup" and "Jingxian Cup" Cross Strait Dragon Boat Race were grandly opened at the Jimei Dragon Boat Pool in Xiamen. As one of the important activities of the 15th Straits Forum, the "Jiageng Cup" and "Jingxian Cup" Dragon Boat Race across the Straits deepen the communication and interaction between grassroots people across the Straits through traditional competitive sports, and jointly inherit the excellent Chinese culture.

Mr. Chen Jiageng's eldest grandson Chen Liren and great grandson Chen Ming, He Yi, (Deputy Director of the National Fitness Business Department of the Social Sports Center of the General Administration of Sport of China and Secretary General of the China Dragon Boat Association), Lin Yuan, (Secretary General of the Provincial Dragon Boat Association), He Xiuzhen, (Executive Vice Minister of the United Front Work Department of the Municipal Party Committee, Director of the Municipal Overseas Chinese Office, and First Level Inspector), Hu Xing, (Director of the Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan Overseas Chinese and Foreign Affairs Committee of the Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference), as well as Hu Xubin, Zhang Jianming, Cai Dongmei, and others, attended the opening ceremony.

This Dragon Boat Cultural Festival is hosted by the China Dragon Boat Association, the Xiamen Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and the Fujian Provincial Sports Bureau. It is organized by the People's Government of Jimei District, the Xiamen Municipal Sports Bureau, the Xiamen Jimei School Committee, and the Xiamen Radio and Television Group, and co hosted by the Fujian Jinmen Compatriot Association.

The on-site applause was thunderous, and the scene is very lively. The Lion Head Wang Troupe from Taiwan was once again invited to perform a wonderful opening performance of Taiwanese lion folk customs. The solemn dragon boat eye drawing ceremony presented the opening ceremony of this year's dragon boat race. The unique ceremony of dragon boat eye drawing and putting on red cloth, just like the oath before the military war, is also an important ceremony for inheriting traditional culture in the cross-strait dragon boat race. "One draw of dragon eye implies favorable weather, national prosperity and peace; second draw of dragon’s forehead implies bright stars, peace between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait; third draw of dragon’s nose implies social harmony, happiness for all families; fourth draw of dragon’s mouth implies five blessings, great luck; fifth draw of dragon horn implies wish the cross-strait dragon boat race a complete success.

Flying Paddle Chasing Waves, Dragon Boat Pool, Cross Strait Dragon Boat Race, Hundred Boats Competing for Flow

Since the start of the competition in 2006, the "Jiageng Cup" and "Jingxian Cup" cross-strait dragon boat races have been successfully held for 15 sessions, and have undergone multiple upgrades. They have developed into an important cultural brand in Jimei District, a city name card for Xiamen, and an important platform for cross-strait cultural exchange. This year's dragon boat race consists of four groups: the youth men's and women's groups, the social men's and women's groups. A total of 47 teams have signed up to participate, including 19 Taiwanese teams (including 2 mainland Taiwanese), with a total of about 500 Taiwanese personnel participating in the competition. On the 3rd, the 200 meter and 500 meter straight track races will be held. On the morning of the 4th, the final and award ceremony of the "Jiageng Cup" and "Jingxian Cup" will be held. On the afternoon of the 4th, the 8th China Dragon Boat Tug of War Open will be held.

As an excellent traditional Chinese culture with the same roots and roots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, dragon boat races have a long history and a broad public foundation. The "Jiageng Cup" and "Jingxian Cup" dragon boat races on both sides of the Taiwan Strait originated from the dragon boat races established by Mr. Chen Jiageng to commemorate the patriotic poet Qu Yuan, in order to inherit traditional Chinese culture and gather all parties' strength. In 1950, Mr. Chen Jiageng built an embankment on the Jimei Beach in Xiamen to reclaim the outer, middle, and inner pools. Later, he organized villagers, teachers, and students to receive formal training and rowing skills. In 1955, Mr. Chen Jiageng personally selected a site and opened up a standardized Dragon Boat Pool in a scenic area as the competition venue, which is now the Xiamen Jimei Dragon Boat Pool. This is the first dedicated artificial pool for dragon boat competitions in China, and it has also made Jimei the place where China held its first international dragon boat competition. This unique dragon boat pond in China is surrounded by a unique style and a combination of Chinese and Western "Jiageng Architecture" - the Daonan Tower and the Nanxun Tower. There are also several antique roofed buildings, corridors, and pavilions built around it, with the "Nanhui" Pavilion centered on the north bank as the subjective scenic platform and guiding platform, which has a strong characteristic of the hometown of overseas Chinese in southern Fujian.

Since its establishment in 1953, the dragon boat race has always been a major event in Jimei. In addition to reminiscing and commemorating the patriotic poet Qu Yuan, promoting the patriotic spirit of Mr. Chen Jiageng is also the unique cultural mission of Jimei's dragon boat race, especially advocating the spirit of "sincerity and perseverance". To achieve good results, a dragon boat team must treat each other with sincerity, and must also be neat and consistent, and persist to the end. The Jimei Dragon Boat Race also includes a special cultural connotation of using folk cultural exchanges between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait as a carrier to further strengthen the blood connections between compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, enhance the sense of national identity of Taiwan compatriots, and promote the early peaceful reunification of the motherland.

Inheriting Traditional Chinese Culture  Five major supporting activities offer gifts to Jiageng

On the occasion of the 110th anniversary of Mr. Chen Jiageng's founding of Jimei School and the 100th anniversary of the naming of Jimei Xuecun Village, in addition to exciting events, this Dragon Boat Culture Festival is themed with "One family on both sides of the Taiwan Strait celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival, and a century old Xuecun Village racing dragon boats". It integrates dragon boat culture, Xuecun Village culture, and Minnan culture, as well as the new era development connotation of Jimei Central Vitality Zone, cultivates a fertile cultural soil, and plays an important role in the relationship between Fujian and Taiwan in cross-strait relations, highlighting the inheritance of traditional Chinese culture and patriotism, emphasizing interaction with the public, especially with young people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. We specially invite young people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait to make friends through cultural exchanges. Through activities such as the Cross Strait (Jimei) Dragon Boat Festival Cultural Forum and Jimei (Dragon Boat Festival) Poetry Festival, we further explore the profound cultural and spiritual connotations accumulated in the Xuecun Village for a century, let the Xuecun Village culture shine with the charm and charm of the new era, and promote the unique brand of Xuecun Village culture, promote cross-strait cultural exchange and inheritance, and promote the vigorous development of cross-strait integration.

This Dragon Boat Festival also fully explores the excellent traditional culture of China, especially the Dragon Boat Festival culture and the connotation of dragon boat culture. On the basis of retaining the original dragon boat festival characteristics and folk activities, it sets four major themes: elegant Dragon Boat Festival, children's fun Dragon Boat Festival, folk Dragon Boat Festival, and fun playing Dragon Boat Festival. Through activities such as Dragon Boat Race in Dry Land, Children's Heart Painting Dragon Boat Festival, Wrapping Zongzi Contest, South Fujian Quyi Special Session, Dragon Boat Amusement Fair, and Dragon Boat Culture Wonderful Night, more citizens experience the dragon boat movement, inherit the dragon boat spirit, feel the charm of traditional culture, vigorously promote the excellent traditional Chinese culture, enhance cultural confidence, and stimulate patriotic enthusiasm through a "visible and tangible" way.