The Dragon Boat races held in various rural areas of The Pearl River Delta during this year's Dragon Boat Festival have created waves of excitement. Among them, Feng Weijun from Heshan, Jiangmen, garnered attention for his spirited rowing during the competition, with his flying hair making him an online sensation.

Recently, reporters visited Heshan to get closer to this group of young villagers who love Dragon Boat racing and explore the charm of Dragon Boat culture.

Dragon boat culture integrated into local villagers' bloodline

Heshan is located in the Xijiang River Basin, surrounded by a dense network of waterways, making dragon boat races a traditional event during the Dragon boat Festival. Reporters learned that local children are exposed to dragon boat culture from a very young age. Some boys, only a few years old, are taken by their parents to the riverside to learn swimming, and as they grow older, they try their hand at paddling in a dragon boat.

There is a local saying, "Better let fields go to waste than to abandon dragon boat in May." Dragon boat culture has been integrated into the bloodline of local villagers. Winning the dragon boat race championship in the village is considered a great honor, and being able to participate is a dream for every villager.

With the development of the times, modern elements have been incorporated into the current dragon boat races. Villagers participating in the races undergo systematic physical training several months before the competition begins. In addition, the village also hires nationally ranked professional athletes to guide the team members in scientific training.

Healthy image of"Brother Internet Celebrity" becomes deeply embedded 

In this year's competition, the Zhongdongxi Village Dragon Boat team from Shaping Street won the first place. It is reported that three months before the dragon boat Festival, the village committee began selecting young people from 13 natural villages to join the dragon boat team, ultimately choosing 96 village representatives to compete for the championship.

Feng Jieqing, the captain of the Zhongdongxi team, said that during several months of training, the team members ate together, and in the later stages, they even lived together, receiving "military-style" training. During this period, the team members lost more than 30 pounds of weight, resulting in sturdy physique and full vitality, gradually achieving unity of person and paddle, and person and boat.

The reporter met Feng Weijun, known as the "Brother Internet Celebrity". In The competition, Feng Weijun, sitting at the bow of the boat, with tanned skin and hair flying, portrayed a healthy image while vigorously paddling, striving to win. Recently, at the invitation of government departments, Feng Weijun was appointed as one of the first Jiangmen Tourism Ambassadors, and he also serves as the city's anti-drug ambassador and urban civilization spokesperson.

Although he has received messages from netizens across the country recently, Feng Weijun rarely replies. He stated that he is a native of Jiangmen and not the second-generation rich rumored online; he is just an ordinary person who loves dragon boat racing.

Construction of dragon boat Theme Park

In order to enhance the influence of dragon boat culture, Heshan plans to build a dragon boat Theme Park in Shaping River, which will integrate dragon boat race venues, eco-tourism, and waterfront leisure.

The park has a total landscape area of about 80,000 square meters, with a north-south length of approximately 1,200 meters, Including an 800-meter international dragon boat race track. On both sides of the river, there will be an eco-friendly and tiered viewing platform capable of accommodating about 40,000 people. 

图集丨江门鹤山：端午鼓声渐远龙舟热度不减

今年的端午节期间，在珠三角各地乡村举办的龙舟比赛掀起一波波高潮。其中，来自江门鹤山的冯伟浚在比赛中奋力划动船桨时头发飞扬的形象备受关注，他也因此成了“网红”。

记者近日来到鹤山，走近这群热爱龙舟的乡镇青年，一探龙舟文化的魅力。

龙舟文化融入当地村民血脉

鹤山位于西江流域，周围水网密布，每逢端午节就有赛龙舟的传统。记者了解到，当地的孩子们在很小的时候就受到龙舟文化的熏陶。有的小男孩才几岁就被父母带到河边去学游泳，年纪稍微大一点就会带上龙舟试着划桨。

当地有一句俗话，“宁荒百亩田，誓扒五月船”，可以说龙舟文化已融入当地村民的血脉。村里一旦获得龙舟赛冠军，堪称光宗耀祖的大喜事，能参赛也是每个村民的梦想。

随着时代的发展，当下的龙舟比赛也加入了更多现代元素，参赛村民们会在比赛开始前几个月，就进行系统化的体能训练。此外，村里还会聘请国家级职业队运动员到村里，指导队员们进行科学训练。

“网红哥”健康形象日益深入人心

在今年的比赛中，沙坪街道中东西村龙舟队拔得头筹。据悉，今年端午前三个月，村委会已开始在13条自然村挑选青年加入龙舟队，最终选出96位村民代表村里赛龙夺锦。

中东西队龙舟队队长冯杰青说，在几个月训练中，队员们一同吃饭，后期还要共同居住，和“军事化”训练无异。在此期间，龙舟队队员们的体重最多减掉了30多斤，换来的是结实的身板和饱满的精气神，逐渐做到人桨合一、人船合一。

记者在当地见到了被称为“网红哥”的冯伟浚。在当天的比赛中，坐在船头的冯伟浚皮肤黝黑、头发飞扬，奋力划动着船桨力争上游的健康形象深入民心。最近应政府部门的邀请，冯伟浚获聘为首批江门文旅推荐官，此外还充当了城市禁毒形象大使和城市创文代言人。

虽然最近收到了全国各地网友的留言，但冯伟浚很少回复。冯伟浚表示，他是家里的独生子，土生土长的江门本地人，父亲是做安保管理的，母亲在水厂工作，自己是开水泥搅拌车的司机，并非网上所传说的富二代，只是一个热爱龙舟的普通人。

建设龙舟主题公园

据了解，为提高龙舟文化的影响力，鹤山还计划在沙坪河建设一个集龙舟赛场、生态文旅、亲水休闲于一体的龙舟主题公园。

龙舟公园工程“项目总景观面积约为8万平方米，南北长度约为1200米，其中800米为龙舟国际赛道，两岸是可容纳4万人左右的生态梯级观龙台。

文丨羊城晚报全媒体记者 彭纪宁 通讯员 谭耀广 麦和幸 容子欣
翻译丨刘佳慧
责编丨古司祺
校对丨赵丹丹