As the Duanwu Festival (the Dragon Boat Festival) approaches, a parade performance featuring a golden "giant loong" with a length of 240 meters and five traditional dragon boats was staged on the Xijin River in Ningguo city, Anhui province. The "giant loong" made of bamboo rafts wound its way in an S-shaped route, which looked particularly spectacular against the light at night. These cheerful festival celebrations like the parade have injected new vitality into the Duanwu Festival and showed the charm of traditional Chinese culture. It has strengthened people's sense of identity and belonging to the Duanwu Festival culture, and also contained people's expectations for a peaceful and promising future. 

A parade performed by a giant loong and five dragon boats was staged on the Xijin River in Ningguo city, Anhui province.

A parade performed by a giant loong and five dragon boats was staged on the Xijin River in Ningguo city, Anhui province.

A parade performed by a giant loong and five dragon boats was staged on the Xijin River in Ningguo city, Anhui province.

A parade performed by a giant loong and five dragon boats was staged on the Xijin River in Ningguo city, Anhui province.

(Text/Photography: Li Xiaohong, Zhang Mingli)