两项世界纪录在湖南龙舟赛中诞生

With a total of 212 boats taking part, a dragon boat race held in Dao county in Central China's Hunan Province, on Sunday broke the Guinness World Record for the "largest dragon boat race (team)." The county, known as China's hometown of dragon boat racing, enjoys a long history of hosting the race during China's traditional Duanwu Festival, or Dragon Boat Festival.

5月31日，由湖南道县发起挑战的“参赛人数最多的龙舟赛（团队）”吉尼斯世界纪录称号，经认定最终结果为212艘，创造了新的吉尼斯世界纪录。作为“龙舟之乡”，道县端午赛龙舟的历史由来已久。

Zhou Jingzhong, Party chief of the county bureau of culture, tourism, radio, television and sports, told the Global Times on Monday that the local government is committed to carrying on the iconic tradition of dragon boat racing. "In Dao county, the dragon boat event dates back to 1,000 years ago. All the participants from around Hunan gather here during the Duanwu Festival every year for the race on the Xiaoshui River. All the boats are handmade by local paddlers," said Zhou.

道县文旅广体局党组书记周镜忠向《环球时报》表示，道县致力于传承赛龙舟这一标志性传统。“在道县，赛龙舟的传统可追溯至一千年前。每年端午，来自湖南各地的参赛者们都会聚集于此，参与潇水河上的龙舟竞赛。而所有的龙舟都由道县当地的桨手手工制作”周镜忠介绍。

Wang Jianwen, Party chief of the county's cultural center, told the Global Times that over 200 boats took part in the annual race in 2023 but it was not officially certified."It's our folk custom to host the race every year during the Duanwu Festival. The event is voluntarily organized by local residents. It's a great spectacle to showcase our shipbuilding and racing skills," said Wang.

道县文化馆党支部书记王建文告诉《环球时报》记者，2023年（道县）就有200多条船参加了比赛，但未能得到官方认证。“举办龙舟赛是我们每年端午节的习俗。比赛都由当地居民自发组织。这也是展示我们造船和赛船技术的一大盛事。”王建文表示。

The record was previously held by Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, where a national dragon boat championship held in 2015 saw 203 boat teams participate in the race.
据悉，该项纪录此前为中国浙江温州所保有。在2015年举行的中华龙舟大赛温州站赛事中，温州以203艘龙舟的数量刷新“最多参赛队龙舟赛”世界吉尼斯纪录。

Dao county, formerly known as Daozhou in ancient times, has a 1,000-year-old dragon boat tradition dating back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279), according to the People's Government of Hunan Province. In 2021, the county's dragon boat customs were included on the national list of intangible cultural heritage.

据湖南省人民政府资料显示，道县古时以“道州”闻名，其龙船习俗自宋以来已传承千年，在2021年被列入国家级非物质文化遗产代表性项目名录。

Meanwhile, the 2024 China Dragon Boat Open (Dao county stop) was held from May 31 to June 2 with more than 200 boats and 6,000 competitors from across the country competing in the events.

同时，2024年中国龙舟公开赛（道县站）于5月31日至6月2日举行，来自全国各地的200多条龙舟、6000多名选手参加了比赛。

Another world record was also set in Hunan as a dragon boat in Yiyang city measuring a total length of 100.987 meters was announced as the world's "longest dragon boat" on Saturday.
湖南还创造了另一项世界纪录，益阳市一条总长100.987米的龙舟于6月1日被认定为世界上“最长的龙舟”。

The double-oared dragon boat made by the villagers of Beian New Village smashed the previous record of 87.3 meters in length set on November 12, 2018 in Cambodia. The boat in Yiyang has a total of 105 compartments and can accommodate 420 rowers. The boat is made of Chinese fir logs, each a diameter of 50 to 60 centimeters and a length of about 28 meters. Meticulously crafted by local shipbuilders, it underwent eight steps and took more than two months to complete. It was launched on the river in June 2023.

这条由北岸新村村民共同打造的双桡龙舟，刷新了2018年11月12日柬埔寨87.3米长龙舟的纪录。据悉，这艘双桡龙舟共有105间仓，可坐420名划手。采用直径50至60厘米、长28米左右的杉木为原材料，经过8道工序，历时2个多月，由民间造船工匠精心打造，于去年6月登江亮相。