Sun, June 13, 2010
For the Dragon Boat Festival next Wednesday, Beijingers will get to participate in events ranging from dragon boat racing to art performances around the city.
Second Beijing Duanwu Cultural Festival
The weeklong festival at Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park will begin June 13 at 8 pm with a party combining a poem recital, dance and opera singing. Fu Hua, deputy director of the publicity department at CPC Beijing Municipal Committee told local media that the dragon boat races at Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park will be held June 14 with more than 60 delegations. Shunyi district has purchased over 20 boats so citizens with good swimming ability can experi-ence boating in the company of professionals.
Address: Beixiaoying Town, Shunyi District
How to get there: Bus No. 915 支3 from Wangjingxi to the park stop
More activities of the festival
Sacrificial ritual and dragon boat performance.
Date: June 16 in the morning
Address: Longtan Park, No. 8 Longtan Lu, Chongwen District
Tel: 6714-4336, 6716-7319
How to get there: Bus No. 743, 822, 35, 41, 957, 750 and 705 to Guangminglou stop
Zongzi-making competition for youngsters; reviewing the old traditions from learning how to make zongzi, tasting calamus wine and more.
Date: June 16, 9 am-4 pm
Address: Beijing Folk Arts Museum, No. 141 Chaoyangmenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District
Tel: 6551-0151, 6551-4148
How to get there: Subway Line 2 to Chaoyangmen
Yanqing will celebrate the traditional festival with Zigui county, Hubei, hometown of the poet Qu Yuan, whom the festival aims to memorialize. Yanqing citizens have fetched water from Zigui with Qu's descendants, and will open the festival by pouring the water into the Guihe River, the mother river of Yanqing, on Sunday morning, Zhang Qian, assistant director of Yanqing Cultural Committee told Lifestyle.
Besides the dragon boat races held in the morning of June 13 and 16 in Xiadu Park, a temple fair will be held, with such activities as storytelling and a handicraft exhibition going on through June 16. There will be a zongzi competition on June 13 and 15. Whoever makes the most zongzi in a certain period of time will get them for free, but each must be around 100 grams and include several dates.
On the stage of the Exhibition Center Cultural Square, two kilometers north of Xiadu Park, there will be a free, large-scale performance describing the emperor's life in Yuan Dynasty in Yanqing using the natural landscape, sound and lighting effects.
Address: Xiadu Park, Chengguan Town, Yanqing County
Tel: 6914-4238
How to get there: Bus No. 919 from Deshengmen to Dongguan stop
Dragon boat racing in Qinglong Lake Park
Eighteen teams at three different skill levels will compete on the morning of June 14. Professional teams will compete along with teams organized by Fangshan, Daxing, Fengtai, Shijingshan and Mentougou districts.
Address: Wangzuo Town, Fengtai District
Tel: 8331-0645
How to get there: Bus No. 917 from Tianqiao to the Qinglonghu Park stop
