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As the Dragon Boat Festival approaches, Guilin's iconic handcrafted dragon boats are drawing attention for their intricate designs and deep cultural roots.
Locals refer to dragon boat racing as pulling the dragon boat, a custom steeped in centuries-old tradition. In Lingchuan county's Mumacun village, 70-year-old Yang Faren continues a family legacy of dragon boat crafting passed down for centuries. A city-level inheritor of this intangible cultural heritage, Yang insists on traditional methods, each boat fully handmade, often taking over two weeks to complete. "From the praying mantis-shaped head to the magpie-shaped tail, every curve has meaning," Yang explained.
Yang Faren, checking the boat blueprint, is the recognized inheritor of Guilin's dragon boat craftsmanship, a city-level intangible cultural heritage project. [Photo/Guilin Evening Newspaper]
This year is not a "Wu" year, meaning the fifth of the ten Heavenly Stems, or the boats won't race to local understanding, but Yang's newest creation rests under Nanzhou Bridge, awaiting future waters.
A dragon boat crafted by Yang Faren is launched a few years ago. [Photo/Guilin Evening Newspaper]
The dragon head, the symbolic soul of the boat, is carved by another local master, Li Chaoqing, of Dongjiaxiang village. Since the 1990s, his expressive sculptures have crowned boats in nearby riverside villages. Stored in local temples, these heads are rarely seen until festival day, when they are paraded and installed with ceremony.
Guilin's dragon boats reflect not only craftsmanship, but a living tradition. Though they race only every few years, the spirit behind them flows year-round, carried by the hands of dedicated artisans and the pride of entire communities.
