The 2026 Guangzhou International Dragon Boat Invitational Tournament kicked off in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province, on June 20, staging an integration of fascinating time-honored Chinese folk culture and global sporting vitality.

Over 3,800 paddlers from 105 teams raced on the Pearl River. Numerous foreign enthusiasts from the UK, the United States, Canada, Kazakhstan, Switzerland, and other countries joined the race, adding international charm to China's thousands-of-year-old Dragon Boat Festival culture.

Although the dragon boat race is a long-standing Chinese tradition, many foreign participants on site said they had practiced dragon boat racing for years or even decades, deeply drawn to the unique "dragon boat spirit."

Per dragon boat competition rules, all crew members aboard a dragon boat are equal teammates. The drumbeat serves as a universal signal guiding paddlers to row in perfect sync. Bound by one shared goal, team members rise and stroke as one.

David Butler from the UK, Stephan Stalder from Switzerland, and several other international dragon boat lovers noted that the sport generates a collective strength transcending national and personal divides.

From the Pearl River in Guangzhou to waterways worldwide, dragon boat racing has grown into a global folk sport. Click the video to hear overseas paddlers' interpretation of the borderless dragon boat spirit.