Dragon boats ride wave of growth

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A craftsman carries the head of a dragon boat in Miluo, Hunan province, in May (DENG SHUGANG / FOR CHINA DAILY)

Xu Guisheng begins his work on simple wood blocks, but he expects them to emerge as divine creations at the helm of a grand tradition for Chinese communities worldwide.

“When a boat is ready, we hold a ceremony to illuminate it,” the dragon boat master craftsman says. “The head is also bathed in water according to our local customs. They are transformed from wooden boats into dragon gods.”

Xu, 64, is a fifth-generation dragon boat craftsman in Miluo, Hunan province, and an officially registered inheritor of this cultural heritage.

The city is known as a production centre for the boats, used in races during the Dragon Boat Festival. Also known as Duanwu Festival, it commemorates the suicide of the patriotic poet Qu Yuan in the state of Chu during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). The festival, which also involves eating glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in reed or bamboo leaves, falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month or June 3 this year.

Miluo’s artisans and companies have preserved and promoted their tradition of making dragon boats beyond the local festivities, drawing on their experience and expertise to ride a wave of rising interest in the sport and associated activities in markets at home and abroad.

There are about 20 major dragon boat manufacturers in Miluo, altogether producing about 4,000 boats a year with a sales value of 160 million yuan (£19.8 million), the local government says. Dragon boats can range in price from 5,000 yuan to 80,000 yuan (£620 to £9,900) each, depending on size and materials. Many of the vessels are sold in nearby Guangdong, Jiangsu and Fujian provinces as well as abroad, including in Malaysia, Myanmar, South Korea and the United States.

Li Lizhong, an official with Miluo’s dragon boat association, says that although boats made in the city are still mainly for the domestic market, its principal manufacturers can together fill more than 50 major orders from overseas, which shows the growing market’s potential.

A wood-carver finishes details on the head of a dragon boat in Miluo in April (DENG SHUGANG / FOR CHINA DAILY)

Although business has been reduced by more than half for many local producers, due to supply chain disruptions and other impacts from the pandemic, the sector is now looking to meet pent-up demand.

The traditional boats of Miluo are famous for their striking dragon head and phoenix tail motifs, with matching hulls, oars and rudders. There are large, medium-sized and small vessels, ranging from 39 feet long to about 79 feet, and they can seat from just a handful of rowers to dozens. The width of a boat is generally 3.6 feet, adding to specific, stringent production requirements that can take about seven days to fulfil.

Xu’s factory, which is at the forefront of the industry, produced nearly 150 dragon boats last year, bringing in more than 3 million yuan (£371,000), he says.

To meet the evolving demands of modern boat races, Xu says he is also constantly improving and innovating with his techniques.

“Products are mainly made from traditional wood and can also be made with reinforced fiberglass.”

To boost the speed of his vessels, Xu says he incorporates special hull contours to reduce resistance in the water, so they can move consistently and naturally. He has applied for national patents for his products.