The International Canoe Federation (ICF) Dragon Boat World Cup kicked off in Zigui County, located in Yichang City of central China's Hubei Province on Thursday.
Zigui is the hometown of renowned poet Qu Yuan, and a typical area for the inheritance of Chinese Dragon Boat Festival.
The exciting event attracted contenders from around the world. The competition was held among 14 teams from Tanzania, Malaysia, India, Iran, Philippines, Singapore, the United States and other countries and regions.
In Zigui, the Dragon Boat Festival is especially important to the locals and an even grander occasion than Spring Festival. Many special activities are held annually to celebrate this festival.
In addition to the famous dragon boat races and making zongzi, people also hang mugwort leaves on their doors during the festival.