The 2024 International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) World Cup kicked off on Saturday in Miluo, central China's Hunan Province, drawing teams from 10 countries and regions to showcase their athleticism and teamwork.
It marks the fourth time the event has been held in China.
As one of the highest-profile IDBF competitions, this year's World Cup features five events across two categories: a 12-person 400-meter relay, a 1,000-meter pursuit, and 22-person mixed races in the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 500-meter sprints.
The Chinese Dragon Boat Association has sent two teams comprising elite athletes selected from this year's China Longzhou (Dragon Boat) Tournament.
In the 200-meter mixed sprint held on Saturday morning, Indonesia narrowly defeated China's Team One to secure the first gold medal of the event. Later in the day, China's Team One triumphed over teams of Indonesia and Canada to win the championship in the 100-meter mixed race.
"This competition shows that Indonesia's level is truly impressive. Although it's a pity that we lost by a narrow margin, we will work even harder in the upcoming events to achieve excellent results," Feng Guojing, coach of China's Team One.
On Sunday, the World Cup will feature the final three championship races, including the 12-person 400-meter relay, the 1000-meter pursuit, and the 22-person 500-meter sprint.
Originated from China more than 2,500 years ago, dragon boating has evolved into a fast, fun and thrilling team-based paddling sport across the world.
In China, the traditional Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the death of the patriotic poet Qu Yuan, who tragically drowned himself in the Miluo River. As such, Miluo is regarded as the birthplace of dragon boating, with Qu Yuan's legacy deeply honored.
2024 International Dragon Boat Federation World Cup opens in Hunan
The 11th Wuzhen Theatre Festival is underway in east China's famous water-town, gathering global artists to celebrate the art of performance and have cultural exchanges amidst the stunning backdrop of ancient canals and alleys.
The grand event opened on Oct 17 in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province, under the theme of "solidity." The 11-day festival is divided into six sections - specially invited plays, outdoor carnival, emerging theatre artists' competition, Wuzhen dialogues, drama fair and granary reverie.
The dazzling ancient town carnival offers visitors more than 2,000 outdoor theatrical performances, including puppet shows, mimes and magic shows. At the same time, there is an installation art exhibition brought by the China Academy of Fine Arts on the Xishi River flowing through the water town.
This year, the Wuzhen Theatre Festival features 24 specially invited plays from 11 countries, five of which were performed for the first time in the world. The highly-anticipated dramas include "We Are Leaving" brought by Polish Nowy Teatr, "En attendant Godot" produced by Chinese director Meng Jinghui, and "River/Cloud" of Stan Lai Shengchuan, an American-born Chinese theatre director.
A total of 11 stages have been set up in the Wuzhen scenic area, some of which were built in the open air or near the water, for the specially invited plays, providing an impressive experience for the audience.
The emerging theatre artists' competition, previously known as the "Youth Competition," is also a major part of the festival, with the purpose of establishing a platform on which promising young artists can develop original works.
Another eye-catching event at the festival is the long street banquet, where theatre producers and media workers from all over the world sit around hundreds of square tables that are laid end to end without a gap along the ancient street. Enjoying the antique architectures and local cuisine, the participants can easily but deeply communicate across language barriers and cultural differences in a convivial atmosphere.
The entire town of Wuzhen, which has a history of more than 1,300 years, is transformed into a stage, and theatre lovers all over the world are invited to enjoy this tantalizing feast of the theatrical arts.
"Artists from across the world are gathering here sharing their passions in such a lovely night in Wuzhen. What everyone can feel is a unique lifestyle blending the tenderness of an ancient town where streams meander tranquilly under slender arches with contemporary arts mirroring our era. I think everyone can sense the aspiration for a beautiful life here. We pursue beauty and compassion, hope to explore the world in an artistic way, and also hope to demonstrate to the the whole world the glamor of our times," said Huang Lei, executive director of Wuzhen Theatre Festival.
Vibrant activities at Wuzhen Theatre Festival highlight charm of performance arts
