China: Golden Dragon boat parade dazzles Suzhou to mark Duanwu Festival.

A fascinating Golden Dragon boat parade was staged on Friday in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, to celebrate traditional Chinese Duanwu Festival, captivating tens of thousands of residents and tourists with a glowing dragon gliding across the water. The featured parade is an intangible cultural heritage from Yangshuo County of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The parade came alive on Friday night with a winding line of 55 illuminated bamboo rafts linked end-to-end, moving through the old moat outside Suzhou's historical Xiangmen Gate. The parade of the dragon-like line of boats stretched over 500 meters, fascinating many tourists who came from across the country to enjoy the festive cheer. The spectacle also featured yellow umbrellas, and a 4.8-meter-high new "dragon head" that is predominantly green and specially made for this performance. Celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, the Duanwu Festival, also known as the Dragon Boat Festival, fell on Friday this year. It is a time to get rid of misfortune as venomous animals and insects were believed to appear at this time of year. It is also a time to commemorate the beloved Chinese poet Qu Yuan (339-278 BC) from the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). Traditional activities such as dragon boat races and eating zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) have been passed down for ages to celebrate the festival. Shotlist: Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, east China - June 19, 2026: 1. Aerial shots of cityscape at night; spectators; 2. Various of boat parade as intangible cultural heritage in progress; 3. Light show presented on Suzhou Xiangmen Gate; 4. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Jiang Dingping, tourist: "It is quite a grand and spectacular parade, with so many guests invited here. It's very impressive to see such a huge dragon for the first time."; 5. Various of well-lit boat parade; people rowing rafts; 6. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zhang Hao, tourist: "Today's Golden Dragon parade is absolutely perfect, and people are incredibly enthusiastic. I'm also very grateful to Suzhou for their support of this event that allows us to witness such an excellent and wonderful culture."; 7. Various of people watching parade; 8. Guest on bamboo raft; people rowing; 9. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Tao Wen, bamboo raft operator: "We hope everyone will love our intangible cultural heritage, the Golden Dragon parade. We welcome you to visit Yangshuo, Guilin, when you have time, to watch the dragon parade amidst the beautiful natural scenery."; 10. Various of illuminated boat parade; light show. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]