Others race cars, they race boats! The Dianjiao dragon boat drift is back, take you to see the night training!
Near the Dragon Boat Festival, dragon boat drums began to sound all over Guangdong. In Dianjiao, Nanhai District, Foshan City, because the water network is dense, the river is winding and bent, and in Dianjiao, drift is the correct way to play dragon boats. Every year at the Dragon Boat Festival, Dijiao will hold a dragon boat drift invitational race, others drag racing, they drag boats.
The stacked dragon boats are 25 meters long, with more than 40 people on each boat, and have to make high-speed curves in narrow river channels.
When cornering, the gunner, drummer and pickpocket, more than 40 people must cooperate highly and fight for their full strength.
It is better to "boil" rotten than to slow down. Turning corners without slowing down, this is the dignity of Dianjiao dragon boats.
One drum turns and three turns, and the drummer's precise direction is crucial.
The helm is often the most experienced.
Recently, there have been night training every night, and the river is full of spectators early.
The helmsman decides the entry and exit of the corner, and the timing and angle.
In mid-to-late May this year, the villages of Dianjiao had already "started the dragon", and as the Dragon Boat Festival approached, all teams began to enter intensive training. Recently, going to Dijiao to watch the dragon boat night training has become a hot spot in the local area.
On the evening of May 31, Nandu reporters came to the L-shaped track in Shengtang Village to watch the night training of dragon boat drift up close. Before 8 p.m., the river near the Guanlong Tower in Shengtang Village was already full of spectators. At 9 o'clock in the evening, nearly 10 dragon boats had gathered on the river, respectively carrying out training such as cornering and sprinting.
The scene attracted many anchors to broadcast the night training live.
Church Place is an L-shaped track, and this 90-degree sharp bend is a test of the dragon boat's control and coordination.
Before the Dragon Boat Festival, the local villagers were already immersed in the festive atmosphere.
Every night during the night training, no less than 10 dragon boats appeared.
The players work during the day and train at night and are very committed.
One drum and three turns. The dragon boats are all dragon boats over 25 meters, and they maintain ultra-high speed corners in the river with an average width of six meters and only three or four meters at its narrowest point. Unlike car drifting, there are more than 40 people on each dragon boat, and when cornering sharply, everyone needs to work together, control inertia and centrifugal force, and integrate the whole ship through rhythm. Drummer, snatchman and pickpocket, engrossed and highly coordinated.
And for the Dijiao people, the dragon boat must be "to the end" (fight into full strength). Therefore, there is a saying that has been circulating for many years in the Dijiao arena: it is better to "boil" rotten than to pick it slowly. "Cooking" a dragon ship is hitting a dragon ship. Whenever the "pot" dragon boat appears, the cheers of the audience are often more enthusiastic than the victory.
According to the shape of the track, the Dianjiao dragon boat drift is divided into four competition areas: Dongsheng (S-type), Tantou (C-type), Shengtang (L-type), and Chaji (straight).
Written by/photographed: Nandu reporter He Huiwen