Opinion / Zou Hanru
Boat race cuts across all divides
By Zou Hanru (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-06-02 06:22
Anyone who has been in Hong Kong on the fifth day of the fifth lunar
month will tell you that the true meaning and spirit of the Dragon Boat
Festival is indeed celebrated here.
The festival bathes Hong Kong in a riot of colours, especially its many
harbour fronts and beaches. For it's here that special boats paddled by
20 to 22 rowers take part in the vibrant but gruelling races.
From Tai Po (Tolo Harbour) and Sai Kung in New Territories to Mui Wo on
the outlying island of Lantau to Stanley and Aberdeen Harbour in Hong
Kong, the festival spirit resonates in the beating of drums, fluttering
of flags and the splashing of oars.
Also known as Tuen Ng (Double Fifth) Festival in Cantonese, the day
commemorates the death of popular poet Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in
the Miluo River during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) in protest
against the Chu Kingdom's corrupt rulers. A reformer and patriot, Qu
became the victim of a slander campaign and was banished by the Chu
rulers. Qu took his own life on hearing that a rival state had conquered
the kingdom.
It is believed that the people of the town raced in boats to rescue Qu.
In trying to do so, they beat drums to scare off fish and threw dumplings
in the water to lure them away from Qu's body.
The festival's origins were in Central China. Now it is celebrated across
China and in around 50 other countries and regions.
Chinese people celebrate the day because it's part of their history and
folklore and also because it represents a love of one's country.
But there's an even more heartening aspect to the festivities in Hong
Kong. Over the years, it has become a real community affair, and it's
here that Hong Kong's multicultural spirit takes over.
Since the highlight of the festival is its fierce dragon boat races, the
teams have to practise for days to hone their skills. It may be a
recreational sport, but at the same time it is highly competitive. That
may be one of the reasons for its immense popularity in the territory.
Teams race in elaborately decorated, more than 10-metre-long dragon boats
to the rhythm of drumbeats recalling the attempt to save Qu. The drummer
sits in the front, controlling the pace of rowing. By doing so, he also
ensures synchrony among the rowers, as the real art is attuning the
rowers to the four stages of every stroke catch, pull, finish and reach.
Many expatriates have become an integral part of this catch, pull, finish
and reach today. The enthusiasm of these expatriates is no less that of
the locals. In fact, many of them have their own groups and attract a
great many sponsors for the event.
The burning desire of the expatriate community to be part of the local
milieu is commendable, as is the warm welcome extended to them by local
residents. Those from outside Hong Kong would not have been worthy of
such praise had the dragon boat race been like other festival when people
only eat, drink and be merry. But these enduring, enthusiastic
expatriates undergo the physical strain of hours of practice and spend
their precious time just to be part of a greater community.
Thanks to their efforts and those of local residents, this truly
community festival has become a grand spectacle on Hong Kong's calendar.
It attracts tourists and residents alike, generating widespread interest
and adding colour and music to Hong Kong's already vibrant life.
But above all, it sends out a message to the world one of peace, harmony
and sharing.
Email: zouhr@chinadaily.com.hk
(China Daily 06/02/2006 page4)
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