Dragon boat races celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival as boats slice through the waves on Jinhai Lake. From June 13 to 14, the Jinhai Lake Tourist Resort in Pinggu District — a scenic spot and national 4A-level tourist attraction in Beijing — hosted the 10th Beijing Municipal Public Fitness Sports Festival and Dragon Boat Racing Events for the Dragon Boat Festival, as well as the 2015 Jinhai Lake International Dragon Boat Invitational Tournament. On the water, rowers paddled vigorously forward, while colorful flags fluttered along the shore, as both participants and spectators celebrated the festive occasion together.
The event was jointly organized by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports, the People’s Government of Pinggu District, the Beijing Sports Federation, and the World Chinese Sports Games, and hosted by the Jinhai Lake Tourist Resort in Pinggu District. Over the course of two days, 21 local dragon boat teams from various districts and counties in Beijing, along with 18 international teams from countries and regions such as Australia, Iran, and Russia, gathered at Jinhai Lake to compete on the water.
A Russian dragon boat athlete, expressing his feelings about the competition in somewhat broken Chinese, said, “Jinhai Lake is so beautiful — I feel like the race isn’t even that important anymore. Of all the competition venues I’ve been to, Jinhai Lake is the most beautiful. I love this feeling; it’s so relaxing. It doesn’t feel like a competition, but more like a vacation.”
In recent years, the Jinhai Lake Tourist Resort has built its development on the foundation of protecting and making rational use of natural resources. With a negative ion concentration of 2,067 per cubic centimeter — higher than the World Health Organization’s standard of 1,500 — and oxygen levels exceeding the top tier, it is hailed as “the largest natural oxygen bar in the Beijing area.” The scenic area is also home to over 500 species of wild plants, including more than 60 types of valuable medicinal herbs. The crystal-clear lake water is inhabited by 15 species of wild fish, making it rich in both plant and animal life, and it has become one of the best leisure and wellness destinations for tourists from home and abroad.
Mr. Yan Chunhao, President of the Jinshan Garden Jinhai Lake Investment Group, stated: “The Jinhai Lake Tourist Resort is one of the few large-scale, original ecological natural resource treasures around Beijing that integrates mountains, water, tourism, and recreation. Therefore, we hope it will not only serve as a destination for entertainment, summer retreats, leisure, and vacations for both domestic and international visitors, but also be developed into a cultural emblem representing Pinggu District, and even the city of Beijing.”