The final of the 2026 China-ASEAN International Dragon Boat Open was held on October 25 in the waters of Xunjiang Park in Teng County, Wuzhou City, Guangxi. Twenty-seven teams from countries including China, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Indonesia competed, delivering a high-level water sports spectacle. The event featured 22-person dragon boat 200-meter and 500-meter straight-course sprint races, divided into an open group and a mass group. At the opening ceremony, lion dance, martial arts, and acrobatic performances were staged in turn. At the final venue, drums sounded as paddlers from each team worked in unison and surged forward through the waves. In the end, local teams from Teng County, Guangxi, swept the championships in all events.
On October 25, the final of the 2026 China-ASEAN International Dragon Boat Open was held in the waters of Xunjiang Park in Teng County, Wuzhou City, Guangxi. The picture shows the competition scene. Photo by Yang Caihong.
"This is my first time coming to China to take part in a dragon boat competition. The course is safe and secure, and the rise and fall of the river makes the race challenging," said Jorge Paulo, a member of the Philippine Dragon Dragon Boat Team, in an interview with reporters. He said that in addition to the dragon boat competition, he was also deeply impressed by the lion dance performance in Teng County and would be very happy to return to Teng County to compete again in the future.
Aung Kyaw Thet, a member of the Myanmar Chinese School Alumni Rowing Team, said the team has been engaged in dragon boat sports for six years. The dragon boat race has built a very good platform, and through sports events it can promote exchanges and cooperation between ASEAN countries and China. He hopes there will be more opportunities in the future to come to China for deeper exchanges on dragon boat culture.
Teng County is located in southeastern Guangxi, with a dense network of rivers, and has had a tradition of dragon boat racing since ancient times. In recent years, the county has leveraged traditional cultural resources such as lion dance and dragon boats as well as the advantages of specialty industries such as ceramics, continuously expanding exchanges with ASEAN countries and deepening people-to-people ties and mutual understanding.
This event was co-hosted by the Social Sports Guidance Center of China's General Administration of Sport, the Chinese Dragon Boat Association, the Guangxi Social Sports Development Center, the CPC Teng County Committee, and the Teng County People's Government.
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