Dragon Boat Festival
01 · Historical Records
In 2008, the three dragon boat associations jointly formed the "Hong Kong Tai O Traditional Dragon Boat Association", working together to pass on this distinctive festival, which has won wide recognition and support from all sectors of Hong Kong.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The event is hosted by three traditional dragon boat associations — the Pating Hang (Rowing-Boat Guild), the Xianyu Hang (Fresh-Fish Guild), and the Hexin Tang (United-Heart Hall) — with their fishing income providing funding for the event, and with enthusiastic participation from fishermen and residents alike. On the fourth day of the fifth lunar month, members of each guild row dragon boats, towing the spirit boats, to Tai O's four temples to invite the gods and enshrine them. On the fifth day comes the "you yong" (parading the waterways), in which dragon boats tow small boats carrying divine statues in a procession through the waterways, while the stilt-house residents welcome the gods, burn incense, and bow in worship. After the waterway procession, the three dragon boats race. In the afternoon, the statues are sent back to their respective temples. That evening, the guild members share a banquet together to celebrate the Duanwu Festival.
The three dragon boat associations
Three guilds of the fishing village each own a boat and a temple, and on the fourth day they sail out to fetch the deities.
Fetching the gods on the fourth
At dawn on the fourth the guilds tow spirit boats from temple to temple while stilt-house households burn incense and wait.
The spirit parade on the fifth
The fifth day belongs to the parade: dragon boats tow the spirit images past every waterway before the three boats race.
Returning the gods and the night feast
In the afternoon the deities go back to their own temples, and at night the guilds share a long communal table.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Tai O lies at the western tip of Hong Kong, on the eastern bank of the Pearl River mouth; it was formerly a fishing settlement, with stilt houses built along the water and the residents mostly belonging to groups who work on the water, so its festival custom naturally differs from that of an agrarian society. The three dragon boat associations — the Rowing-Boat Guild, the Fresh-Fish Guild, and the United-Heart Hall — are all sustained by fishing income; each has its own boats, banners, and temple, and the four temples are the four starting points of the event. In 2008 the three joined to form the Traditional Dragon Boat Association, and only then could the waterway procession be held every year without interruption. The stilt-house residents mostly welcome the gods and burn incense along the channel mouths; wherever the dragon boats pass is the market street, with people and boats moving side by side in the narrow waterways, composing a Duanwu scene unique to Tai O. Tai O's stilt houses lean against the hills beside the water; its lanes are narrow with many stone steps, so where the dragon boats pass, people look down from upstairs while those on the boats call up, answering one another. In former times each guild had its own banner and drum; the banner colors differed, and the crews wore matching jackets, so during the harbor parade spectators could tell which guild it was simply by the banner color. Among the three associations, the Rowing-Boat Guild and the Fresh-Fish Guild both made their living from fishing, while the United-Heart Hall was mostly composed of water residents and merchants; the three took turns hosting, and in the year a guild was on duty it repaired the dragon boats and prepared incense, candles, and offerings, with the costs apportioned out of fishing earnings and shop rents. In recent years overseas visitors have gradually increased among the spectators, and the younger generation participates mainly by learning to row or by manning the drums; the cohesion of the festival still rests on the old guild structure.
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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The dragon boat waterway procession is a traditional festival activity held every Duanwu Festival by Hong Kong's fishing people at Tai O, on the eastern bank of the Pearl River mouth at the western tip of Guangdong, to expel pestilence and pray for blessings; it has been passed down among the people for over a hundred years. As a traditional festival rite of Hong Kong, the Tai O dragon boat waterway procession plays an important role in sustaining community cohesion and cultural identity, and it also has important value for the study of folklore.
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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