When most people – myself included – think of rowing, we conjure up images of the likes of Steve Redgrave in slim, hydrodynamic boats racing 2,000m along an Olympic Course; but our sport’s boundaries are somewhat fuzzier than we first expect.
One of the most unique and intriguing forms of rowing is traditional Chinese Dragon Boat Racing. To understand the origins of this somewhat niche sport, however, we must travel back to Biblical times, and the reign of Qu Yuan in the Chu kingdom…
Origins and History:
Qu Yuan was born in 340 B.C, and was leader of one of the seven warring factions of Traditional China, before they were united under Qin Shi Huang. The legend is that Qu was not only a talented poet, but a useful advisor to Qin after China was united, however those who shared his court were less pleased with his advice, and forced him to leave the Kingdom. After realising that his country had entirely fallen under the command of Qin, he drowned himself in the Miluo River.
After he died, those in the area tried to recover his body in the river with their boats, whilst in an effort to prevent the fish from eating their king’s body, throwing egg and rice balls into the river, whilst an old doctor poured realgar wine into the river to prevent the river monsters damaging his body.
As a result, on the day of his death each year – the 5th May – the Chinese commemorate his death with the drinking of realgar wine, eating traditional foods, and racing dragon boats.
In late 2007, the Chinese government agreed to formally recognise the Duanwu festival.
The Boats:
Traditionally made of teak, these craft can hold up to 30 oarsmen and are typically raced over a variety of distances from between 100 and 2,000 metres; for longer races crews may be required to navigate around an end post several times to make up the distance.
Those propelling the boat each use a single oar to move the boat on a given side, in time with the beat produced by the drummer, and steered by the helm. In more modern variants of the craft, the shell is often carbon fibre and at high levels, telemetry is used to improve the efficiency of the crew.
The most striking feature of these craft is the dragon head and tail on each end of the boat. Removed during training, the dragon’s head is an essential part of not only the boat, but the festivals and rituals upon which it is built, as at the start of the Duanwu festival, a guest or priest is invited to “awaken the dragon” by dotting the eyes of the head with red paint.
The Technique:
At the front of the boat sit the lead strokers, who set the pace for the rest of the crew, all of whom follow the same basic technique:
- “The A-Position” begins the stroke, with the paddler’s outside arm, back, and oar forming an “A” shape when viewed from the side. From this position the oarsman will move forward to reach his blade parallel with the person in front.
- “The Catch and Drive” bring the blade into the water at roughly a 60° angle. The rower then pulls on the oar, counter-rotates with the lower arm, shoulder and back, before initiating an aggressive downwards drive with the upper arm.
- “The Pull and Exit” is unique in rowing, as the paddler uses mainly back muscles pull the blade parallel to the boat, before – at the hip – using his top arm to remove it from the water and starting the stroke anew.
As a general guide, there are three feet positions which a coach may instruct his crew to adopt: inside foot forward, outside foot forward, both feet forward. This often depends on the biometrics of the rowers involved.
The rowers must also take care to position themselves as close to the gunwale (side of the boat) as possible in order to provide maximum propulsion.
Modern Racing:
It may seem like more of a history lesson than current affairs to learn about the history of dragon boats, but their influence has withstood both the test of time – and borders.
Today, the BDA (British Dragon Boat Racing Association) is the governing body for the sport in the UK, and works to promote the sport here in Britain. 30 clubs are currently registered with the BDA and compete in a number of event each year, the highlights of which are the National Championships at the end of the year, and the National League which runs between April and September.
Conclusions:
As ever, Olympic Class racing is only one of a plethora of dynamic variations on our sport, each with their own techniques and formats, that together weave the banner under which we all compete: Rowing.
Feeling inspired to try Dragon Boat racing for yourself? Use the BDA’s Club Finder to find your nearest club.
Want to know more about the diverse types of rowing? Read our other Hidden Oars articles here.
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Ed Evans
Opinions Editor
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