History of Dragon Boat Rowing in Yueqing City, Zhejiang Province, China

Due to the status of the user, the use and the different conditions of the waters, the dragon boat is generally distinguished into three types:

(a) the nobleman touring excursion of the dragon boat. Such as "Mu Tianzi biography" in the record: "Tianzi by bird boat, dragon boat captured in the marsh", "Sui Book Emperor Yang Ji": "on the imperial dragon boat, fortunately Jiangdu", "Mengxi Brush Records" said: the early Song Dynasty, Zhejiang and other areas of the offer of dragon boat at the court for the emperor to swim, this dragon boat is more than 20 feet long! To thirty zhang, wide three, four zhang, head and tail scales overlay, carved gold lions, two columns of ten pavilions, in the seat of the Emperor, can be described as spectacular. Today in Beijing Summer Palace, Hangzhou, West Lake and other places for touring the dragon boat is also such.

(ii) (ii) with the dragon boat, generally medium-sized boat, about 30 meters long, 3 - 4 meters wide, the boat in the building of two pavilions, and there are swings or masts for artists to perform skills on the top of the facilities. 1986 killed the film studio in Ruitang under the Hantian River to shoot the film "Bishui Double Souls" in the "King Huai see dragon boat" scenes, in addition to 1,000 dragon boat racing, there are two oversized dragon boat, the main mast beam of the big dragon boat hanging six red silk strips, three acrobats for the air roll, inverted and other thrilling action. It is this type of dragon boat, also known as the temple pavilion.

(c) is for folk racing with the dragon boat. General modeling long and narrow, light, two heads, set piece of short, no paddle pile, according to the waters and habits, set the number of different pairs of paddlers, the stern of the rudder, the head of the flag, in the cabin of the drums, gongs and so on. Is what this paper said the dragon boat.

Wu Yue folk dragon boat race of the historical origin of different say, generally can be traced back to more than two thousand years of the Spring and Autumn period or the Warring States period, if according to some scholars of the testimony, but also to push forward to four or five thousand years ago. In summary, there are three claims.

--Totem. Famous scholars Mr. Wen Yiduo said in the "Dragon Boat Festival", about four or five thousand years ago, our country's ancient Wuyue clan for the dragon as the ancestor, the protection of God, the dragon as a totem, plus a worship, in order to show that they are the descendants of the dragon, Wuyue people "hair tattoos", once a year, a grand commemoration of the totem of the activities will be all kinds of food packed in bamboo tubes or wrapped in leaves, dedicated to the totem of the dragon. They put all kinds of food in bamboo tubes or wrapped in leaves and offered them to the totem god. In the rapid drumming, paddling a canoe carved into the shape of a dragon, in the water for the race, to balloon the totem god's protection. According to this evidence, belonging to the Yue Ou Yue should also be in the ancient clan society, there has been a primitive form of the dragon boat race, but it is an ancient water recreation activities in the sacrifice of the gods.

--Goujuan said. "Racing from the Yue Wang Goujian". This is the earliest record of dragon boat racing on the Fangzhi so far, pointing out the dragon boat racing originated in Goujian, and in order to commemorate the meaning of praying for peace. According to the Western Han Dynasty "Yue Jie Shu" and other historical records: the Spring and Autumn Period, the Yue monarch was released by the Wu King Fuchai returned, in order to seek the restoration of the country, ten years of lying down and tasting the courage, according to the characteristics of the Yue country of the water townships of the Ze country, pay close attention to the construction of the boat, the boat is long and narrow, paddle bit many, fast as flying. Every year, Duanyang, Goujian sat on the dragon boat, personally commanded the race, the actual practice of the navy, "Go boat three hundred", the sound of a heck of a lot. After ten years of hardship, finally in 473 BC, realized the desire to restore the country, defeated Wu and rebuilt the state of Yue. In order to honor this monarch, every Duanyang, grand dragon boat races are held all over Yue to pray for peace.

--Qu Yuan said. Dragon boat race transformed into a memorial Chu doctor Qu Yuan said, this may be due to the ancient Wu-Yue culture and the Yangtze River culture fusion and exchange, the unification of the Divine Kingdom gradually replaced the group of China, coupled with the Qu Yuan's life and can be sung patriotic behavior, y touched the people around the Divine Kingdom. In 278 B.C., the capital of Chu was captured by Qin, and the tomb of the king was burned down. Qu Yuan, the patriotic poet of Chu, felt that the future of the country was desperate, and his ideals were extinguished, so on the 5th of May, he held a stone and threw himself into the Miluo River, which was rescued by the local people in their boats. The local people rescued him with a boat. Geography," said: "the scholar chased to Dongtou not seen, the lake is big boat small, no one can help, is the song said: how to get the lake? Therefore, drums rowing to return, the race will be on the court, used to each other, for the race of the play". Later, this kind of Dragon Boat Race held in honor of Qu Yuan and Dragon Boat Race, widely spread to all over the country. South Zhejiang has been circulating such a folk song: "five days five days Dragon Boat Festival, Qu Yuan hate Miluo River, dragon boat team flew in the river, to drink bushels of wine to peace."

Three folk say about the historical origin of the dragon boat, which one is closer to the historical facts? Let's not explore too much, but no matter which statement, its long history, is an indisputable fact, and folk paddling dragon boat custom is mainly used for praying for peace and commemorating the sages, its meaning is also the same