19th Annual Dragon Boat Races

Photo Serena Hong Dragon boat racers paddled in sync with furious drumbeats. The 19th annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York drew thousands of spectators and team participants to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park's Meadow Lake for a lively weekend of dragon boat racing, games and festive music on Saturday and Sunday, August 8 and 9.

The Dragon Boat Festival is a significant Chinese holiday that commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, a minister and poet in the kingdom of Chu (present-day Hunan and Hubei provinces) during the Warring States period (475-221 B.C.E.). In office during a time of turmoil and government corruption, Qu Yuan was highly respected for his loyalty and wisdom that had brought peace and prosperity to the land. However, jealous fellow ministers slandered Qu Yuan so that he and his loyal counselors were dismissed. Protesting against the king's policies and lamenting lack of morality in his country, Qu Yuan clasped a large rock and drowned himself in the Mi Lo River on the fifth day of the fifth moon in the lunar calendar. Locals tried to save him by rowing their boats while beating drums and throwing rice balls into the river to prevent fish from eating his body, but they failed and Qu Yuan's body was never recovered. It has been a Hong Kong tradition to hold dragon boat races that symbolize the frantic attempts to rescue Qu Yuan and the practice continues to this day, spreading to different parts of the world.

Festival goers threw darts and played other games to win prizes that ranged from toys to HSBC debit cards. In the past, a dragon boat ranged from 50 to 100 feet long, accommodating many paddlers sitting side by side. The narrow boat had a wooden dragon head attached to the bow, a dragon tail at the stern, and gold-edged red, green and blue scales along the hull. Men standing at the bow set off firecrackers, tossed rice into the water and pretended to search for Qu Yuan. Historically, competitions were held between different clans, villages and organizations and winners were awarded medals, banners, jugs of wine and festive meals. Today, the slender boats continue to resemble colorful dragons and the competing teams row their boats to a furious rhythm pounded out by onboard drummers. Modern dragon boats are 40 feet long, weigh approximately one ton, and are skillfully crafted to glide on the water.

Arts and crafts tents were set up for families to have their faces painted. Photos Serena Hong This year's festival had 152 teams competing from all over the United States and Canada. The race participants were men and women of wide-ranging ethnicities and ages. While Saturday's races had only adult participants, youth ages 14 to 17 competed in their own races on Sunday. "This festival is great for the youth for several reasons: one, they get involved in the community; two, discipline; three, team spirit, and four, physical and mental improvement," William Wang, former head of the New York Downtown Hospital volunteer department, who coached one of the competing teams at the festival, explained

Wardell Lee, a member of the New York Wall Street Dragons (WSD) team who raced in the Youth Invitational, and who will enter Boston University as a freshman in September, was recruited by Wang to row with the Dragons four years ago. Since then he has raced every summer, training four days a week, all year round. "In the wintertime, you just do weight lifting," he explained. "You don't start being in the water until May because it's too cold." Now a disciplined, highly trained rower, Lee allowed that his early days in the sport had been rocky. "I get yelled at a lot," he admitted.

Other racers also concede that training has been tough, but despite the different reasons they race, they still enjoy participating in the ancient sport, especially in New York.

"The festival grows on you. The competition here is different from go-away races— there are a lot more community and recreational teams," Gary Wong, who's been paddling for 15 years for the Dragons, said. His team has competed in locations all around the globe, including Montreal, and Malaysia, and at the end of August will compete in an event in Prague, but Wong still enjoys coming back to compete in New York City, 'This is a more festive than competitive atmosphere," he noted.

Many community-based organizations, such as the Queens Borough Public Library and sponsors of the event set up booths where they gave away promotional items. They also held folk arts and crafts workshops. Adults and children had their faces painted and made origami, feathered shuttlecocks and ribbon flower ornaments. Free games that people could play to win prizes such as plastic kites and heat-pad samples were also set up at the festival. Participants cheered, held balloons and enjoyed live music and martial arts demonstrations while snacking on authentic fried dumplings, bubble tea and shaved ice.

"It's really cool. You see people from different cultures, not just Chinese," 17-year-old Joshua Lee, a volunteer at the Civil Air Patrol booth and a paddler in Sunday's race, commented. Lee agreed. "It's an Asian sport, but it's still very diversified," he said.

The winners of this year's events included: Azumi Dragons Black, Da Kamekaze Dragons, HSBC Red Dragons 1 and 2, New York City Parks and Recreation, DCH Racing, United East Athletic Association/David J. Louie, DCH Racing/Charles B Wang Community Health Center, DCH/DCH Youth Jackrabbits 1, HKETO 1, DCH Phoenix, Times Ledger, Merrill Lynch, DCH Auto Group and Montreal Mix