He Liqian, the 78-year-old former village secretary of Longtan Village in Haizhu District, has been documenting the rich culture of dragon boating in his village for over four decades. Since picking up photography in 1979, He has been using his camera to capture the vibrant traditions of Longtan Village's dragon boat festivities. After retirement, he turned these treasured images into envelopes, evoking fond memories for generations of Haizhu residents.

Dragon Boat traditions in Longtan

The annual dragon boat races, known as "paddling the dragon boat," are a significant event in Longtan Village, a typical water town in Haizhu District. The village, divided by waterways, has a long-standing tradition of dragon boats visiting other villages. Historically, visiting dragon boats would circle the West before paddling towards the East and Middle to visit various clans.

According to custom, the more firecrackers set off on the shore as the dragon boats approach, the more enthusiastic the paddlers become. He Liqian recalls, "When the paddlers see the enthusiastic welcome on the shore, they would shout, 'Paddle till no firecrackers left!' to which the shore folk would reply, 'Set off firecrackers till no paddling!' This back-and-forth banter would end with mutual respect, as both parties would then come ashore to enjoy tea and pastries together."

Bringing communities together

In 1980, as the then-party secretary of Longtan Village in Haizhu District, He Liqian advocated for unity and friendliness between neighboring villages. This initiative helped to mend the historical rift between Longtan and Tuhua villages, leading to mutual dragon boat visits. That year, Longtan Village won the championship in the Xinjiang District Dragon Boat Race.

Beyond bridging gaps between villages, the "dragon boat culture" also dismantled outdated barriers. As dragon boating flourished, Longtan Village built a new standard dragon boat from Belian wood and encouraged women to participate in the activity. "Dragon Boat Racing in Longtan Village" has since been recognized as one of Guangzhou's third batch of intangible cultural heritage projects.

Whenever people reminisce about Longtan Village's dragon boat victories, they invariably recall He Liqian's dedication and perseverance. Over the past 40 years, villagers affectionately refer to him as "Shengji," and his contributions are celebrated across generations in Longtan Village.

Envelopes and Postmarks: Bridging Hearts Across Continents

After retiring, He Liqian felt a strong need to preserve and pass down dragon boat culture. He began organizing his dragon boat photos, supporting the cause in a new way.

With the support of the Philatelic Society, Longtan Village has been issuing commemorative envelopes with various themes since 1997. These envelopes feature calligraphy and paintings by renowned artists and incorporate works by poets and photographers, many of which were taken by He Liqian himself. This year, Longtan Village's dragon boat postcards were included in Guangzhou's intangible cultural heritage series. The postcards highlight the village's spirit of unity and cooperation, and showcase the unique customs of Lingnan water towns.

The annual Dragon Boat Festival stirs the hearts of overseas Chinese. During the Chinese New Year, Longtan Village sends New Year greetings to overseas Chinese and compatriots in Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR, inviting them to return home. "Since this year is the Year of the Dragon, we have specially produced 3,000 commemorative dragon boat festival envelopes and a batch of postcards. We will send some of these to our overseas compatriots, thanking them for their support of our homeland and inviting them to visit often," said Mr. He.

何礼谦，海珠区龙潭村老书记，如今已经78岁。自1979年接触摄影开始，40多年来，他用相机记录着龙潭村龙舟文化的兴盛与繁荣。退休后，他将珍贵影像制作成信封，唤醒一代代海珠人的美好回忆。

龙潭水乡多佳话

"扒龙船"是海珠区龙潭村每年的大事。龙潭村是一个典型的水乡，河水将村庄分割为几块。水乡村庄间历来有龙舟相互探访的传统。外乡的龙舟来探访，以前必是绕西约一圈，另外扒向东、中约，拜访各姓氏。

根据习俗，龙舟每到一处探访，岸上炮仗烧得越多，扒船者就越起劲。何礼谦回忆称："龙船上的人见岸上如此火热，便会笑着大声说'扒到唔烧！'岸上的人听了，便会回应'烧到唔扒！'一来一回后，在热烈欢喜的氛围中，双方便互相谦让并上岸喝茶食饼。"

联结乡亲聚民心

1980年，时任海珠区龙潭村支部书记的何礼谦主张相邻村乡应以团结友好为重，并借此推动了龙潭村与土华村打破历史隔阂，龙舟互相往来。在当年举办的新滘地区龙舟赛中，龙潭村夺得桂冠。

除了打破村与村之间的隔阂，"龙舟文化"还冲刷掉旧时陈规的屏障。在扒龙舟日渐兴盛后，龙潭村用坤甸木新装一艘标准龙船，鼓励妇女加入到龙舟活动中。"龙潭村扒龙舟"，也入选了广州市第三批"非遗"项目。

每当人们回忆起龙潭龙舟夺冠时刻，总会想起何礼谦在背后的付出与坚守。40多年来，他被村民亲切地称为"胜记"，那段岁月也在一代代龙潭人中口口相传。

信封邮戳频传乡情

退休后，何礼谦深感龙舟文化接续传承的必要，有空便整理自己拍摄的龙舟照片，以另外一种形式支持龙舟工作。

在集邮协会的支持下，自1997年开始，龙潭村每年都根据不同内容发行纪念信封，聘请书画名家名人题字作画，选用诗人、摄影家的作品，其中很多作品都为何礼谦亲自拍摄。在今年制作的版本中，龙潭村龙舟明信片还被列入广州市非遗项目系列，展现该村齐心协力、同舟共济的精神风貌，再现岭南水乡百舸争流的独特风俗。

每年的端午节龙舟活动，还牵动着海外赤子的心。每年春节期间，龙潭村在给海外侨胞、港澳同胞写拜年信时，都会邀请他们返乡。"今年是龙年，我们特别制作了3000枚龙舟节纪念信封和一批明信片，将会寄出一部分给与我们同根同源的海外侨胞，感谢他们关心支持祖国和家乡事业，希望他们常回家看看。"

策划｜林如敏 刘云

统筹｜李春炜 符畅 王敏

文字｜记者 卢佳圳

图片｜受访者提供（除署名外）

翻译 | 刘佳慧