With the passionate and resounding sound of drums and gongs, the 2023 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Five-Person Dragon Boat Open Competition started on October 1st at the new wharf on the west bank of West River in Baini Town, Sanshui District, Foshan City.

  The dragon boat race has ten rounds (one long and nine short) to finish, covering a distance of 26 kilometers and taking approximately 150 minutes, which poses a severe challenge to the physical strength, willpower, and teamwork of the participants. Therefore, the five-person dragon boat race in Baini is known as the"water marathon".

The large-scale dragon boat race in the entire Baini town is held once every two to three years, and each time is unprecedentedly grand.

At the scene, the guests finished the painting of the dragons'eyes of the 12 leading teams dragon boats as encouragement.

At noon , with the signal of the start of the competition, the scene was instantly ignited by the teams. The helmsmen quickly rushed towards their dragon boats like arrows leaving the bow. Then, hundreds of dragon boats flew on the West River in an instant. The crew members shouted in unison and paddled vigorously. The splashing waves, running dragon boats, resounding drum beats, and encouraging cheers from the bank formed a traditional picture of dragon boat racing.

After the race, the dragon boat feast in each participating village of Baini Town began one after another, rewarding the crew members who participated in the race.

In Baini, dragon boat racing is a traditional cultural and sports activity with a long history, deeply and widely loved by local people. There is also a "Five-Person Dragon Boat Museum" in the town, presenting the magnificent scenes of "crossing the seas" and "water marathon" with seven exhibition areas through decorations, objects, sound, light, and other display methods.

佛山：128支龙舟队参加水上马拉松

伴随着激昂铿锵的锣鼓声，2023年粤港澳大湾区（三水·白坭）五人龙舟公开赛，10月1日在佛山市三水区白坭镇西江西岸新码头水域擂鼓开赛。

龙舟赛采取“一长九短”十圈的赛制，赛程公里数达到26公里，耗时约150分钟。由于比赛时间长，对参赛选手的体力、意志力以及团队合作都是严峻的挑战，因此白坭的五人龙舟赛被誉为“水上马拉松”。

白坭全镇范围的大型龙舟赛每隔两三年就举办一次，每次举办都盛况空前。

现场，嘉宾们为12只龙头点睛，为参赛队伍加油鼓劲。

当天中午，比赛信号声响，现场瞬间点爆，舵手们铆足劲头，如离弦之箭般快速奔向各自的龙舟，百余支龙舟顷刻飞渡，逐浪西江。船员们齐声喊着统一的口号，奋勇挥桨。西江上飞溅的浪花、飞驰的龙舟、咚咚的鼓声与江岸上的欢呼声、呐喊声、加油声，构成了一幅龙舟竞渡传统风俗画卷。

赛后，白坭镇各参赛村的龙舟饭陆续开席，犒劳出战的船员们。

在白坭，龙舟竞渡是一项历史久远、流传广泛、深受人们喜爱的传统文化体育活动。镇上还有一个“五人龙舟博物馆”，馆内设有7个展区，通过场景、实物、声光电等展示手段让人们体验“出西海 下南洋”“水上马拉松”的壮丽场景。

文 | 记者 梁正杰 通讯员 梁宇聪
图 | 受访者提供
译｜白心怡

责编 | 王瑜瑛
校对 | 刘博宇