Folk stage dragon boat race in muddy rice fields

A raft of exciting activities were held at a rice theme park named Dao Meng Kong Jian in Shenbei new district in Shenyang, in Northeast China’s Liaoning province, to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, which fell on June 7 this year.

Activities included dragon boat races, football matches and a tug of war -- all held in muddy rice fields.

Staging a boat race in a muddy rice field is a tradition of the Xibe people that is celebrated during the Dragon Boat Festival.

The Xibe ethnic group was one of the first to engage in agriculture in North China, with members of the ethnic group planting rice there in the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Xibe people continue to have a great affection for land and agriculture, and they host activities in muddy rice fields each Dragon Boat Festival -- to show their love for the land and desire for a good harvest in the fall.