China's oldest existing dragon boat awakens from river in Guangdong

The awakening ceremony for a 592-year-old dragon boat, the oldest in the country, was held on a river in Foshan City of south China's Guangdong Province on Saturday, marking the official start of the region's dragon boat season.

The event began with a congratulatory message read by local elder Shao Juxi, inheritor of the Yanbu Old Dragon customs, at the Yanbu Community in Foshan's Nanhai District. The boat, Yanbu Old Dragon, was then moved from the riverbed to the water's surface and cleaned after resting for a year.

The 36.8-meter-long boat, constructed from belian wood, dates back to 1432. The boat was buried in the muddy riverbed because wooden dragon boats are prone to rot when kept in regular environments. In Guangdong, after the Dragon Boat Festival races, some boats are buried in the muddy riverbed and left there until the next year's festival to ensure their long-term preservation.

The locals unearthed the boat, observed worship to Hua Guang (an immortal in local folklore), and then sailed the boat along the rivers.

The highlight of the season is on the fifth and sixth days of the fifth lunar month (when the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated). The Yanbu Old Dragon will meet another old dragon boat named Renwei from Guangzhou City. Festivities will then continue for a whole month.

Locals consider dragon boats sacred and hold grand ceremonies when "lifting submerged dragon boats," a tradition passed down for centuries.

"I grew up with the old dragon (boat), and now I want to bring my son to experience this atmosphere and culture so it can be passed on to the next generation. We enjoyed it very much and felt very proud," said a local surnamed Lu.

The ceremony also attracted many tourists in the country.

"I come here to experience the vibe. It is so lively and joyful. Such grand awakening ceremony of a dragon boat is rarely seen in other places," said a tourist from Sichuan Province in southwest China.

The inheritor of the customs, also a type of intangible cultural heritage in China, said the dragon boat is a symbol of spirit of teamwork and unity.

"The dragon boat spirit embodies hard work and unity. We promote this spirit to people of Guangzhou and Foshan through the worship of Hua Guang, fostering mutual visits and comity, because we Chinese are descendants of the dragon," Shao said. During the dragon boat season, local vendors also introduce innovative cultural tourism experiences, integrating intangible cultural heritage with immersive activities, educational tours, and some creative products such as themed dolls, ornaments and shirts.

China's oldest existing dragon boat awakens from river in Guangdong

China’s first intelligent field plant phenotype precision identification platform went into operation recently in Sanya City, south China’s Hainan Province, which is a milestone in the country’s development of intelligent breeding.

The phenotype of a plant is a term used to describe observable characteristics of the plant, such as its appearance, and some inherent physiological characteristics, such as resistance to drought and diseases.

In an experimental field of the National Nanfan Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, a large piece of equipment is moving across the field. The equipment, called the field plant phenotype precision identification platform, can move according to the preset track and can be remotely controlled. While moving, the equipment can scan the plants with its six sensors, just like a CT machine for plants.

"The ultimate goal is to achieve high-throughput, large-scale, efficient and precise collection of germplasm resources, which can be four to five times higher than the efficiency of the traditional manual collection," said Jin Xiuliang, a researcher at the institute.

Although the equipment looks simple from the outside, it contains six high-precision image acquisition devices such as multi-spectral, thermal infrared, and chlorophyll fluorescence devices. Data can be collected at fixed times and points according to experimental needs, and the collection of a germplasm material can be completed within 30 seconds.

After the data collected through this platform is transmitted to the data analysis center, researchers can more quickly and accurately screen out germplasm resources with excellent traits, laying the foundation for subsequent crop breeding.

"The plant phenotype identification facility at the National Nanfan Research Institute is a milestone in the field of crop science in China. It can greatly enhance the independent innovation capabilities of germplasm innovation, gene mining, and variety breeding, and enhance the international competitiveness of China's seed industry," said Li Huihui, vice president of the institute.  

China makes major progress in smart crop breeding