The First International Dragon Boat Races Were Held in Hong Kong

According to tradition, the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the death of Yuan Qu, a poet and minister of the ancient state of Chu, who lived between 340 and 278 BC during the Warring States period. After the fall of Ying, the Chu capital, Yuan Qu committed suicide by throwing himself into the Miluo River. Local people who admired him raced their boats to save him. Although they were unsuccessful, this event is said to be the origin (among other stories) of the Dragon Boat Festival.

However, while dragon boat racing has been a traditional activity throughout China for over two millennia, it is in Hong Kong that it evolved into a modern international sport. Specifically, in 1976, the Hong Kong Tourism Association (now known as the Hong Kong Tourism Board) organized the first International Dragon Boat Races to boost tourism in the city during the summer low season.

A Japanese team from Nagasaki was invited to compete against nine local fishermen’s crews at the Shau Kei Wan Typhoon Shelter. One of the local crews won this first edition, but the Nagasaki team won the event the following year, in 1977.

These inaugural Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races eventually led to the global expansion of this traditional Chinese festival. Today, dragon boat races are held all over the world.