Guess what we had last week here in Hong Kong? Another public holiday!The Dragon Boat Festival honors a Chinese patriot by the name of Qu Yuan who threw himself into the Mi Lo River in protest of a corrupt government. People raced out in their boats to save him and others banged on drums to scare away dangerous fish. Unfortunately, the locals were unable to reach him in time. Boat races are preformed each year to symbolize the attempts to save Qu Yuan.
The Dragon Boat festival is a major Chinese holiday so I just had to be part of the action. I dragged D down to Stanley Beach despite the 98 degree weather so I could check out the boat races. I figured the beach would be filled with people by I never imagined just how crowded it would be.
Different teams (most sponsored by their companies) were dressed in colorful uniforms. I asked D why he wasn't participating this year for his company team. Apparently there are team tryouts and lots of practices. The competitors take this event very seriously!
The Fair Dinkum Club, a social club made up of young professionals, posed for a team photo. The girls were wearing black tutus around their waists!
Even though we didn't stay to watch many races we could really feel the excitement in the air. The smells of sweat, alcohol, sunblock and pollution (of course) filled our lungs. Maybe I'll form my own racing team to compete in the race next year...or better yet I'll just watch.
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