Over 4,000 paddlers of 122 dragon boats from home and abroad are due to gather in Guangzhou on June 23 for an international dragon boat invitational race.

The Guangzhou International Dragon Boat Invitational tournament, with a history of 24 years, is a key event in the Lingnan region during Dragon Boat Festival. This year's race will be hosted on the Pearl River between the Square of Sun Yat-Sen University North Entry and Guangzhou Bridge.

The entrants include 12 standard dragon boats, 71 dragon boats with 22 seats, 31 colorful dragon boats and eight cruise dragon boats with beautiful decorations. Twenty-two of the racing teams hail from Hong Kong, Macao and overseas countries such as Canada, the US, the UK, Australia and Bangladesh. 

The race will consist of four main events, 600-meter races for standard dragon boats and 22-seaters and special races for colorful dragon boats and the beautifully decorated cruise dragon craft.

Teams compete during the 2017 Guangzhou International Dragon Boat Invitational tournament. [Photo/gzsports.gov]