Yahu town in Baiyun district of Guangzhou kicked off a heated dragon boat race on June 5, with nearly 50 teams from Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macao competing against each other on Yahu Lake.

This is the second time that the town has hosted the race, and the event was packed with spectators including several expats from the UK, Bangladesh, Australia, and Nigeria eager to catch a glimpse of this unique traditional Chinese cultural activity.

Dragon boat race teams compete against each other on Yahu Lake in Baiyun district, Guangzhou. [Photo/ycwb.com]

"The number of overseas Chinese who came to watch the race was nearly 10,000," said Liu Guo, deputy Party chief of the town, adding that that many overseas Chinese are so homesick that they hope to find a sense of belonging by getting involved in this dragon boat race.

A lady surnamed Cao was one of them. She has been working in Ecuador for more than ten years and confessed that her faded memory of dragon boat races has now been refreshed.

"It is so marvelous and this is our traditional Chinese culture," she added.

Dragon boat paddlers try their best in the race. [Photo/ycwb.com]

Tens of thousands of spectators watch the race on June 5. [Photo/ycwb.com]