Xiamen to host cross-Straits dragon boat festival

The 2019 Cross-Straits Dragon Boat Festival will be held in Jimei district of Xiamen, East China's Fujian province on May 25, the first major cultural activity of the annual Straits Forum, according to a press conference held on May 9.

The festival has attracted 53 teams from both sides of the Taiwan Straits to participate in its dragon boat race, 27 of which come from Taiwan.

This is the first time that Taiwan teams have outnumbered their Chinese mainland counterparts in the race, with their numbers hitting a record high.

The two-day dragon boat race, including 200 meter and 500 meter races as well as a dragon boat tug-of-war, will include four categories, involving the younger females and males as well as adult females and males.

To highlight the cross-Straits character, four referees from Taiwan will be invited to work with their Chinese mainland counterparts in the race.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of China, and the annual festival will promote outstanding traditional Chinese culture and patriotism in a bid to enhance local residents' cultural confidence and inspire affection for their home country.

Roughly 30 activities are expected to entertain local residents during the festival, including a dry-land dragon boat race, a temple fair for food, and a classical poem recital.