Dragon boat races attract tourists

In the watery maze of Diejiao Village in Foshan, South China's Guangdong province, dragon boat teams race through S-curves, L-bends and tight C-turns with breathtaking precision. Spectators gasp and cheer as the 25-meter-long boats rush round corners at full speed, water spraying in their wake.

A popular Cantonese saying captures the spirit of the event: "Ning ho bou laan, bat ho paa maan," meaning, "It's better to crash the boat, than to paddle slowly." It is perhaps no surprise, therefore, that Chinese social media users have dubbed this tradition "F1 on water", with thrilling clips of races going viral across the country and beyond during Dragon Boat Festival holidays.

The festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month each year, and in 2009 it became the first Chinese holiday to be inscribed on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. People throughout China and all over the world celebrate the festival, which has a history stretching back more than 2,000 years.