THE 2023 First Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Maritime Dragon Boat Race (Nan’ao, Shenzhen) is scheduled to be held from June 20 to 21 off the waters of Yueliang Bay, Nan’ao Subdistirct, Dapeng New Area. The boat race, originally called Nan’ao Maritime Dragon Boat Race, has been successfully held for 19 years, and was suspended for three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the only maritime dragon boat race in Shenzhen, the race has a long history of more than 70 years and has seen the participation of a number of dragon boat teams from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, and has also attracted many tourists from neighboring cities. According to Nan’ao Subdistrict, this year’s race is expected to see a record number of teams and will feature various events including traditional cultural performances, business exchange meetings and themed carnivals. “A big difference in this year’s race is that it will be changed from the previous single-group race system to a double-group race system. In addition to domestic dragon boat associations, we’ve also invited international friends, well-known enterprises and 18 local dragon boat teams from Nan’ao to compete in a 500-meter straight race. Moreover, we specially invited teams from the Greater Bay Area (GBA) cities to compete for fun,” said a person in charge of the organizing committee. Apart from the exciting dragon boat races, visitors can also enjoy performances featuring intangible cultural heritages and taste traditional Nan’ao delicacies. (Yang Mei) | 