Qintong Boat Festival

A rousing view of the Qintong Boat Festival. [Photo provided to etaizhou.gov.cn]

Located in the middle of East China's Jiangsu province and north of the Yangtze River, the Jiangyan district of Taizhou city boasts wonderful cultural and tourism, as well as abundant water resources.

The Qintong Boat Festival is one of the major cultural events in the district. Originating in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), it was a ceremony to commemorate war victims around the time of the Qingming Festival. As such, the tradition is well preserved and promoted, offering an exhilarating view of the gathering of hundreds of boats.

It was included in the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2008 and was recognized as the largest boat event by the Shanghai Great World Guinness headquarters in 2009.

To promote the integrated and high-quality development of its intangible cultural heritage and tourism, the Jiangyan district changed and integrated more intangible cultural heritage items into the annual affair in 2017.

The one-day regional boat performance was extended, from March 8 to May 8 each year. During the event, there are wonderful programs featuring local culture, such as rural tourism festivals and opportunities to regard the local camellias.

Moreover, four examples of cultural and creative products from the festival won awards in the China Tourist Commodities Competition and garnered high praise from their judges in 2018.

In Qintong ancient town, one of the historic towns of China, the Jiangyan district has created a characteristic precinct featuring leisure, experience and health on its boats. It's been selected as one of the first 13 tourist towns in Jiangsu province and has improved its brand profile for the culture of boating.

An aerial photo of the Qintong Boat Festival in Taizhou. [Photo provided to etaizhou.gov.cn]

Moving forward, the Jiangyan district plans to further improve the brand visibility and influence of the festival and expand its cultural and tourism value.