Dragon Boat Festival
01 · Historical Records
The custom of dragon-boat racing in Luodian began in the Ming dynasty and flourished in the Qing. The Continuation of the Baoshan County Gazetteer says: "On the fifth day of the fifth month [the people] race dragon boats; this enthusiasm is most fervent in Luodian and Dachang." From the late Qing to the Republican period, Luodian suffered greatly from the ravages of war, and the custom of rowing dragon boats was forced to stop; from then on it never recovered. In the 1990s, thanks to the efforts of people from all walks of life in the locality, this traditional folk activity was restored, and it has now become a cultural emblem of the ancient town of Luodian and an emotional bond uniting the local people.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month is a traditional Chinese festival, also known as "Chongwu" ("double noon"), "Duanwu", and "Pujie" ("calamus festival"). "Duan" means "beginning", so the fifth day [of the month] is called "Duanwu" ("beginning fifth"). In the Xia (lunar) calendar the first month is established as the month of Yin; following the order of the earthly branches, the fifth month is precisely the month of Wu, and the ancients often called the fifth day "Wu day"; hence "Duanwu" is also called "Chongwu" ("double Wu"). Dragon Boat Festival customs are found throughout the country and are mainly prevalent in the broad Han areas; the Zhuang, Buyi, Dong, Tujia, and Gelao, among other ethnic minorities, also have the custom of observing the Dragon Boat Festival. There are many legends about the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival — commemorating Qu Yuan's drowning in the river, the taboo of the fifth day of the fifth month as a poisonous day, King Goujian of Yue training his navy, commemorating Wu Zixu's throwing himself into the Qiantang River, and Cao E's rescue of her father. Refined over successive generations and combined with the folk activities of the festival, these accounts have formed a unique festival custom of the Chinese nation. The main activities of the Dragon Boat Festival include commemorating historical figures, rowing dragon boats, eating zongzi (rice dumplings), pasting up Duanwu paper-cuts, hanging mugwort and calamus, wearing sachets and other evil-averting objects, and bathing with orchid water; in addition there are games such as doucao (plant contests), ball games, and willow shooting. These activities have produced related implements, articles, and foods, among which dragon boats, zongzi, pictures of the five venomous creatures, mugwort and calamus, pictures of Zhong Kui, pictures of Zhang Tianshi, and images of Qu Yuan are the most common. With the progress of society, the Dragon Boat Festival has gradually developed into a traditional festival rich in content and has gained tremendous vitality. For example, the customs of rowing dragon boats and eating zongzi in the Dragon Boat Festival have been well preserved to the present day and have developed healthily. In view of this, scientific guidance should be applied to the other cultural expressions of the Dragon Boat Festival, so that the festival cultural activities of the broad masses become richer and more colorful. Luodian is a famous historic town of the Jiangnan region; in the Song dynasty it was still a fishing village — "white reed blossoms on the river, the tide sounding urgent in the evening." The Luodian Town Gazetteer records: "In the town there were five or six dragon boats, with banners and arms bright and fresh and brocade colors dazzling to the eye; they enjoyed the finest scenery of the whole county." Luodian's Dragon Boat dragon-boating activity preserves an ancient folk form of the Jiangnan region, most evidently in its sacrificial rites, its boat decoration, and its water performances. Dragon-boating begins on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival itself and usually lasts five to seven days; it includes sacrificial rites carried out by the assembled crowd — erecting the sacred pole, bringing out the dragon, dotting the dragon's eyes, welcoming back the dragon, presenting the prize pennant, and the "flourishing basin" (wangpen) — intended to drive away "plague, pestilence, and illness" and to keep the land and waters pure. Luodian's dragon boats have distinctive features and a long-standing reputation; they stand apart in the Dragon Boat races of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. The dragon head is carved from a single block of camphor wood, presenting the image of "a crocodile's mouth, shrimp's eyes, a qilin's horn, a luminous pearl held in the mouth, long whiskers floating beneath the jaw, and scales layer upon layer in piled colors over the whole body." The colored flags are also painted with patterns, "to represent the dragon's sons and to avert the harm of the flood dragon (jiaolong)." The "taijiao" (platform corners) at the bow of the boat originally featured performances by real child actors; later, for safety's sake, they were replaced by painted clay figures. All of these are developments and extensions of the social customs of the remote age of "loosened hair and tattooed bodies."
Raising the pole and opening the eyes
On the opening day a pole is raised to mark the station and a brush of red paints the dragon’s eyes open, after which the boats may enter the water.
Carving the camphor dragon head
The head is carved from a single log of camphor with crocodile jaws, shrimp eyes, qilin horns, a pearl in the mouth and layered scales.
Meeting the dragon, sending the marker and the basin
The boats gather, the marker is sent to open the race and the basin rite closes with gathering luck before the stands are struck.
The painted child on the prow
The figure on the prow was once played by a real boy and is now a painted statue, keeping the childlike pose at the head of the boat.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, the custom of rowing dragon boats on the Dragon Boat Festival has been very prevalent in Luodian Town, Shanghai; it has survived to the present day and forms the Dragon Boat dragon-boating legacy with the richest regional character in the Huangpu River basin. The hull of this dragon boat is derived from the Luodian "beach boat" (a flat-bottomed local craft); flat-bottomed, with a raised head and upturned tail, it appears small and exquisite, and it can travel nimbly through the winding, narrow waterways of the locality.
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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
It has important reference value for research on the history of folk customs and related areas.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Tan Guozheng 05-2970
- Liu Guisheng 05-2971
- Xiang Fuchang
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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