Nepal-China Friendship Dragon Boat Race at Pokhara (Photo Feature)

Starting Friday, Pokhara will host the two-day Nepal-China Friendship Dragon Boat Race Festival. The Chinese Embassy in Nepal,  Pokhara Metropolitan City, and Nepal Tourism Board are working together to organize the boat race.

 

The Dragon Boat Festival (Duan Wu Jie), is also known as Duan Yang, and it takes place  on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. It is done to commemorate Qu Yuan, a third-century poet, and also to wish for a good harvest by revering the river dragon. 

Four teams each from Nepal and China will participate in the event. 120+ participants from Nepal and China are taking part in the festival, competing in eight boat races spanning 200 and 500 meters in two days. The boat race competition is being held in Phewa Lake, and competitors include the NARA Dragon Boat Team Nepal, the NRESA Boat Team Nepal, the Phewa Dragon Connect Team Nepal, the Pokhara Metropolis Dragon Boat Team Nepal, the Yuan Boat Team, and the China-Nepal Friendship Dragon Boat Team Pokhara. 

The participants from China landed in Pokhara on a chartered flight on June 21, which marked the first international chartered flight to land in Pokhara International Airport. There is a total cash prize of 2 million Nepali rupees announced for the winners. 

Wang Shin, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu, was delighted regarding Pokhara being the first city in South Asia to organize the festival outside of China. 

 

The Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Sudan Kirati, inaugurated the event and said that this event would further build the ties of friendship between Nepal and China. He also invited guests from China and the rest of the world to visit Nepal to enjoy the festival and various other outlets that Nepal has to offer. 

Pokhara Metropolitan City mayor, Dhanraj Acharya, and NTB chief executive officer, Dhananjaya Regmi, both expressed their happiness because this would increase the flow of tourists to Pokhara and Nepal in its entirety. 

 

The festival will also offer food stalls, arts and crafts, and various other stalls along with cultural dance performances showcasing the traditions of both China and Nepal.

Photo: AP Tolang