Hovering bamboo discs, flying feathers, twisty harvest dance...Some of China’s traditional sports still enjoy a modern following, even internationally
On June 12, nine days after China’s Dragon Boat Festival (端午节), Boston’s Charles River will be filled by the sound of drums, as boats painted with dragon scales and mounted with dragon heads take to the water for a day of races.
This year will be the 43rd year of the Boston Dragon Boat Festival, which typically draws around 2,000 rowers from around the US, as well as local spectators who will enjoy festivities like Asian street food stalls and performances in Taiko, Angkor Dance, and Chinese Waist Drum.
The traditional sport of dragon boat racing now reaches far beyond China’s own shores. According to the International Federation of Dragon Boats, a governing body set up in 1991, this now globally renowned sport enjoys 50 million participants in China, 90,000 in US and Canada, and over 30,000 in Europe.
Like the dragon boat, many other Chinese folk sports with ancient origins have survived into the present day, and some are experiencing new vitality—even beyond China’s borders. Activities like kite-flying, pigeon racing, diabolo, and dragon dance are all still practiced today , with China’s General Administration of Sports (GAS) devoting a whole section, called the “Social Sport Guidance Center,” to the promotion of these sports nationally and internationally. Here are a few more still-thriving Chinese folk sports:
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