On June 22nd, the sound of drums and gongs echoed along the Lizhiwan (Lychee Bay) Creek in Guangzhou as villagers in Pantang gathered to hold a farewell and storage ceremony for a 400-year-old dragon boat, affectionately known as the "old dragon".

On June 22nd, the sound of drums and gongs filled the air at Lychee Bay Creek in Guangzhou

At around 2:00 PM, several dragon boats departed from their respective ancestral halls in Pantang. Each boat paddled three times past the village's various dragon boat associations to exchange greetings, followed by a ceremonial tour of Liwan Lake.

The dragon boats depart from their ancestral halls, paddle three times past each local dragon boat association to greet one another, and then tour Liwan Lake

After the mutual visits, the dragon boats returned to the storage area in Liwan Lake. Villagers then carried out a series of blessing rituals to officially place the boats into storage. The storage process involves removing two "dragon boat plugs" from each boat, then weighing the boats down with sandbags on underwater racks, allowing the lake's water and mud to soak the wooden hulls. This method helps prevent cracking and oxidation caused by sun exposure.

Removing the "dragon boat plugs"

The keruing hardwood dragon boats are soaked in lake water and mud to prevent cracking and oxidation

Villagers celebrated joyfully by splashing water on each other

The conclusion of the farewell and storage rituals marks the end of this year's dragon boat festivities. The boats will reemerge to race again next year during the Dragon Boat Festival.

Source:Lingnan on the Cloud

图集+视频｜泮塘“老龙”归巢，明年端午再相会

6月22日，广州荔枝湾涌龙船鼓响，锣声阵阵，泮塘村民相聚一堂，为400多岁的“老龙”举行送龙、藏龙仪式。

下午2时左右，泮塘几条龙船从自家祠堂出发，到村里各个龙船会来回划三次，相互打招呼，并在荔湾湖进行巡游。

互相拜访后，龙船回到荔湾湖的存放龙舟处。村民举行一系列祈福仪式，正式藏龙。藏龙要将龙船的两个“龙船塞”拔出，然后用沙包把龙船压在湖中的龙船架，让湖水和泥浸泡龙船，防止龙船被晒裂干和氧化。

送龙、藏龙结束，意味着龙船活动告一段落，明年端午再相会。

文｜记者 马思泳
图、视频拍摄｜记者 陈秋明
视频剪辑｜马思泳 温泽广
翻译｜曾敏
审校｜林佳岱