TAIZHOU -- The 16th China Wetland Eco-tourism Festival, also known as the 2023 Qintong Boat Festival, opened in east China's Taizhou City on Saturday, attracting over 500 decorative boats with more than 10,000 team members participating in the event.

The history of Qintong Boat Festival dates back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) when villagers boated on rivers to worship soldiers who fought in wars against enemies, showcasing people’s wishes for a prosperous country and a peaceful and affluent life. To this day, it is the best-conserved and most ancient water festival in China.

Different from the dragon boat race, people compete using pole boats at the Qintong Boat Festival, with accompanying high-pitched gongs.

"The leading pole should be rowed powerfully and the other members should row their poles following the leading pole. When the members make concerted efforts and work hard together, the boat will go fast," said Li Ying, one of the racing participants.

A colorfully decorated boat cruise is another highlight of the event, attracting villagers from surrounding areas to showcase their exquisite boat decorations to tourists from all over the country.

"I am really happy to see that the folk customs here have been well carried forward and I think this is a very good phenomenon," said Xu Geng, one of the tourists from Nantong City of Jiangsu.

The Qintong Boat Festival was listed as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008 and was called the world’s largest boat festival in 2009 in the Guinness Book of World Records. It has been an annual event held around the Tomb-Sweeping Day in Taizhou since the Ming Dynasty, with boat races as its highlight.