Participants of the 2019 World Mermaid Championship in Guangzhou pose for a group photo. [Photo by Chen Youzi/Guangzhou Daily]

The 2019 World Mermaid Championship, lasting from Aug 30 to Sept 1, was held in Guangzhou, attracting 70 mermaid dancers from 15 countries.

This year's event featured giant glass water tanks as venues for competition, allowing participants to showcase their distinctive customs, such as Chinese Han costumes (hanfu) and folk costumes from other countries.

Hong Wenjia, a former Latin dance instructor in her 30s who seriously hurt her left leg in a car accident, came to the event in her wheelchair. Hong said that the accident was severely damaging to her and she had spent five years lying in bed. 

However, dancing underwater as a mermaid doesn't set high demands on the use of both legs compared with Latin dance. "When dancing as a mermaid, you need to tie both legs together, which allows me to continue pursuing my dancing dream," Hong said.

Hong Wenjia (R2 in the front row) comes to the event in her wheelchair. [Photo by Chen Youzi/Guangzhou Daily]