Inheritor steers dragon boat traditions

Leng Yihu, a sixth-generation inheritor of the double-oar dragon boat tradition from Lanxi in Yiyang, Hunan province, has transformed his hometown's intangible heritage into an international mission.

On June 14, just days before this year's Dragon Boat Festival, a 26.8-meter-long double-oar dragon boat from Lanxi, carrying nearly 100 rowers from China and Malaysia, made its debut on the Malacca River in Malaysia. Cheered on by crowds of locals and tourists stationed along the riverbanks, the boat, named "Friendship", took part in the 41st Malaysia National Chinese Cultural Festival, marking the international debut of the Lanxi traditional dragon boat.

For Leng, 38, the initiator of this "overseas mission", taking part in the festival marked the culmination of dedicated efforts.

"I have always wanted to show the world the authentic version of our dragon boat," he said.

Leng (left) makes a dragon head for a boat at his workshop in Lanxi in Yiyang, Hunan province, with his father. YANG SHUHUAI/FOR CHINA DAILY

All the components of the boat, including more than 40 wooden planks and over 200 oars, were crafted in Lanxi and shipped to Malaysia, Leng said.

He also brought a team of about 20 amateur rowers from Lanxi. The team, made up of farmers, retirees and small business owners, cherishes the tradition. The remaining rowers were Malaysians, including ethnic Chinese, Malay, as well as Indian-Malaysian participants.

"The crew on a single dragon boat transcended borders and nationalities," Leng said, referencing a Chinese phrase, "pulling together in the same boat".

Unlike most dragon boats, where rowers sit and paddle in unison, the traditional dragon boat of Lanxi features two tiers of rowers, seated and standing, rowing together in a coordinated rhythm.

"Our boats are usually larger than the standard racing dragon boats, ranging from 20 meters to as long as 100 meters," Leng said.

In June 2024, a traditional double-oar dragon boat from Lanxi, measuring 100.987 meters, was certified by Guinness World Records as the longest dragon boat in the world.

In the small riverside town of Lanxi, dragon boat culture runs deep. For generations, residents have built, rowed, and celebrated their unique tradition. Leng vividly recalled every Dragon Boat Festival from his childhood, when the Lanxi River was filled with boats, the air resonating with drumbeats, and the banks lined with cheering crowds. Children like him grew up watching the races, chasing the boats from one end of the town to the other.

This childhood immersion shaped him in ways he only recognized years later, he said. The traditions he grew up with became an integral part of who he is today.

With an early interest in art, Leng majored in visual communication at the Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts in Shaanxi province, graduating with a master's degree. He still remembers the advice from his teachers at the academy: "They told me to find the character of my hometown," he said, "to dive deep into the soul of Hunan and the ancient Chu culture for art inspiration."

Years later, Leng returned to his hometown and became a lecturer at the Hunan Arts and Crafts Vocational College in Yiyang. In addition to teaching, he has dedicated himself to preserving and promoting the local dragon boat tradition, earning the designation of provincial inheritor of the Lanxi double-oar dragon boat in 2023.

The following year, he became president of the Double-oar Dragon Boat Culture Research Association, a local organization committed to the preservation and promotion of the tradition.

With his academic background in art and design, Leng, along with his colleagues and students, designed the team's uniforms for the Malaysia dragon boat event. He personally painted some of the oars, using traditional wave patterns in red and blue. "Blue represents the ocean, and red echoes the spirit of the dragon," he said.

For Leng, the role of inheritor is not about simply preserving a craft in a museum. It is about making it visible, understandable, and relevant to people beyond his hometown. "My job is to move the culture forward, to carry it somewhere new," he said.

With an ambitious "global mission" for the Lanxi dragon boat in mind, Leng viewed the journey to Malaysia as just the beginning. He is already looking beyond Asia, working to promote cultural exchanges through dragon boats in Europe and Africa.

"I have a map in my mind, including five continents," he said, adding that dragon boat events are welcomed in many countries, especially in regions with a larger overseas Chinese population. "People believe that wherever the dragon boat goes, it brings good fortune."

For him, the boat is more of a living carrier of cultural memory — one that he believes must keep moving, crossing borders, and telling the story of its origins.

（Xinhua）