How many years dragon boat racing was included in China's national sports competitions?

In 1980, dragon boat racing was included in China's national sports events and the Qu Yuan Cup Dragon Boat Race was held every year.

On June 16, 1991 (the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar), the first International Dragon Boat Festival was held in Yueyang City, Hunan Province, China, the second hometown of Qu Yuan. Prior to the competition, the "Dragon Head Festival" was held, which preserved traditional rituals and injected new modern elements. The "dragon head" was carried into the Qu Zi Ancestral Hall, where the athletes "reddened" it (draped it with a red belt), then the officiating priests read out the rituals and "opened the light" (i.e., dotted the eyes) on the dragon head.

Participating in the sacrifice of the dragon all three bow, the dragon is carried to the Miluo River, running to the dragon boat race course. As many as 600,000 people took part in the race, the fair and the celebration. Later, Miluo City, Hunan Province, to facilitate the annual Dragon Boat Festival held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month Dragon Boat Festival.

Expanded

Traditional Dragon Boat Races:

1. Suzhou is the birthplace of the Dragon Boat Festival. The "Qing Jia Record" in the record of Jiangsu area dragon boat race is to commemorate the Wu Zixu, Suzhou has the Dragon Boat Festival Wu Zixu's old habits, and held on the water to commemorate the race. The earliest origin of dragon boat racing in Suzhou was the Xumantang River, which is the Xujiang River today.

2, Nanjing since ancient times, the tradition of dragon boat racing. Nanjing local history "folklore and religious dialects" on the dragon boat race records: "afternoon, the Qinhuai River, dragon boat racing, watchers gathered." Some experts pointed out that until the Ming and Qing dynasties on the Qinhuai River is still a prosperous scene of dragon boat racing, only in modern times due to various reasons such as history, the Qinhuai River is very difficult to see the scene of dragon boat racing.

3, Changzhou since ancient times, there is a tradition of dragon boat races, Changzhou poet Hong Liangji in the Qing Dynasty, "outside the family records", recorded the old city of Changzhou May Dragon Boat Race in May, the spectacle: "DuanYang YunXi race with dragon boat six, the city is the five-color dragons, the size of the east door of the green dragon, the west door is the golden dragon, the south door of the white dragon, the north door of the black dragon".

Baidu Encyclopedia - Dragon Boat Racing

CCTV.com - Origin and Legends of Dragon Boat Racing