As the Dragon Boat Festival approaches, the annual Dragon Boat Caiqing Ceremony takes place in Shipai Village, Tianhe District, Guangzhou. Caiqing, which literally means "picking the green," is an important ceremony to "awaken" the dragon boats for the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival. At the scene, with gongs, drums, and firecrackers, eightsleeping dragons are "awakened". On the Nanyue Dragon Boat of the Shipai Village, the helmsman Chi Shuhao dressed in a red shirt stood in the bow, holding the oars, rhythmically blowing the whistle, and directing the "dragon" forward.

Chi Shuhao is 43 years old this year. He has shown great interest in the dragon boat race since his childhood. "When I was very young, I watched the adults rowing the dragon boat, and I was especially interested in it. I remember once after school, I sneaked onto a dragon boat and felt very happy for just sitting on it."

In those days, there were no safety facilities like life jackets on the dragon boats, Chi Shuhao said. It was actually very dangerous for small kids to go on the dragon boat. Therefore, when his father learned that he had sneaked onto the boat, he came to look for him in a rage. Chi's father suddenly took out a cane from behind his back to give him a lesson, and he couldn't run away because he was on the dragon boat. "Now I'm in my 40s. My mom and dad still often tease me about this in front of my children," Chi said with a laugh.

Every year, it is during the ceremonies of Caiqing and Songlong (sending off the dragon) that the children are allowed to board the dragon boat "openly." Chi said, that in the world of the children, rowing a dragon boat is not just for fun, it also brings them a sense of pride. Since there are many dragon boats in Shipai Village, every year when the eight dragon boats all come out to visit other villages at the same time, everyone will praise them, calling them the "Shipai Fleet."

To Chi Shuhao, the dragon boats represent the story of inheritance. Every time the villagers row the dragon boat to visit their relatives and friends, the older generation will talk about the history and stories of dragon boats in Shipai Village. Chi's father has been a helmsman for more than 40 years, and now that he has reached the age of 70 and "retired" with honor. The "baton" is now passed on to the son.

Following his father for more than ten years, Chi knows that the helmsman is one of the most important roles on the dragon boat. "You need to make the boat go straight as far as possible, and you can't get off the rudder too often because the resistance will be too much for the boat.Besides, the helmsman needs to feel the wind, and the water flow, and make timely adjustments and adaptations, so that the dragon boat can be more labor-saving. Therefore, the helmsman must have a wealth of experience."

Chi's son is also a huge fan of the dragon boat race. Whenever he has spare time, Chi teaches his son and nephew how to row the dragon boat. "The spirit of the dragon boat is about unity, courage, and striving to be the first, and I hope they can learn the spirit little by little."

The spirit of the dragon boat is passed down not only among the villagers but also all people interested in traditional culture.

Chi Shuhao is a director of the Guangzhou Dragon Boat Traditional Culture Promotion Association. As a training base for dragon boat sports in Guangzhou, the association undertakes several functions such as the popularization of dragon-boat tradition, training, and race organization. Its oriented groups include both children and new Guangzhouers. "To popularize and inherit the dragon-boat tradition, we need to go out the villages, and we hope more people can experience the dragon boat culture firsthand."

To Chi Shuhao, the dragon boat race is a movement in his blood. He spends almost all his time on this love. "In 12 months of the year, I row the dragon boats for nine months," he said. "Nowadays, many villagers settle outside the village, so it is hard for us to get together. But every year, when the Dragon Boat Festival comes, they will come back and gather together in the ancestral hall and on the dragon boat. That's great."

Source: Yangcheng Evening News

“石牌舰队”艄公池树豪：扒龙船是刻进我骨子里的运动

端午将至，广州市天河区石牌村举行了一年一度的龙船采青仪式。现场，锣鼓声响、鞭炮齐鸣，8条游龙“苏醒”。石牌南约龙船上，艄公池树豪身着红色上衣立于船头，手持船桨，有节奏地吹响哨音，指挥这条“神龙”前进。

今年43岁的池树豪，从小就耳濡目染，对扒龙船产生了浓厚的兴趣。“很小的时候就看大人扒龙船，心里特别向往。记得有一次放学后，我偷偷跑上龙船，只要能在上面坐一坐就感到很高兴了。”

池树豪说，那时龙船上没有救生衣等安全设施，小孩子上龙船其实是很危险的。因此，得知此事的父亲气冲冲地前来寻他，突然从背后拿出藤条，他在龙船上想跑也跑不了。“到现在我40多岁了，爸妈还经常在我的孩子面前拿这件事打趣我。”他笑着说。

每年的采青和送龙仪式，才是孩子们能“光明正大”上龙船之时。池树豪说，在孩子们小小的世界里，扒龙船不仅好玩，更让他们深感自豪，因为石牌村龙船比较多，每年8条龙船同时前去探访其他村时，大家都称赞这是“石牌舰队”。

在池树豪看来，龙船意味着传承。每每扒龙船去探亲，老一辈都会说起石牌村的龙舟历史和故事。而他的父亲当了40余年的艄公，如今年满70岁光荣“退休”，这根“接力棒”又传递给他。

跟着父亲学习了十几年，他深知舵手是龙船上最重要的角色之一。“要让龙船尽量走直线，但也不能频繁下舵，因为下舵对船的阻力很大，而且舵手要感受风力、水流，及时进行调整和适应，让龙船更省力，因此舵手必须具有丰富的经验。”

池树豪的儿子也非常喜欢扒龙船。一有时间，他就手把手带着儿子、外甥一起扒龙船。“龙舟精神就是团结、奋勇争先，希望能慢慢感染他们。”

龙舟精神的传承，不仅是在村民之间，更辐射至所有对传统文化感兴趣的人们。

池树豪是广州市龙舟传统文化促进会的干事。作为广州市龙舟运动训练基地，该会承担龙舟科普、训练及赛事组织等多项职能，面向的群体既有小朋友，也有新广州人。“要做龙船文化的科普和传承，只局限在村里是不够的，我们希望让更多人亲身体验龙船文化。”

“一年12个月，我基本有9个月都在扒龙舟。”如今，扒龙船已经成为池树豪刻在骨子里的一项运动，他几乎把所有时间都花在了这份热爱上。“现在很多村民在外定居，很难聚在一起。每年端午他们回来，我们能在祠堂里、龙船上相聚，挺好的。”

文丨记者 符畅
翻译丨麦芯羽