Thrilling races take place in Qingtian county every year during the Dragon Boat Festival. [Photo/WeChat account: qingtianfabu]

Final preparations are feverishly being made in Qingtian county in Lishui city – in East China's Zhejiang province – for the annual Dragon Boat Festival celebrations, taking place on June 18-22.

The activities will showcase the charms of the Oujiang River and the historical and cultural heritage of Qingtian, as well as bring international elements into the fun and frolics.

The festival will kick off on June 18 at the Dragon Boat Culture Square in Chuanliao town, featuring traditional dragon boat rituals, a dragon boat launch ceremony, the actual dragon boat race and other intangible cultural heritage and handicraft activities.

On the same day, a garden party will be held in Hongfuqian village, where visitors can experience the sports events of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) such as cuju – the ancient form of soccer – and touhu, which involves throwing arrows into wine pitchers.

There will also be a special activity for lovers of hanfu – traditional clothing of the Han ethnic group in China.

Another highlight of the festival will be a dragon boat invitational tournament for overseas Chinese, which will be held on June 19 in Chuanliao town.

A total of 18 dragon boat teams, including 14 local teams and four overseas Chinese teams, will compete in 200 meter and 500 m straight sprints.

On June 19-22, activities linked to Qingtian dragon boat culture will be held in Chuanliao, where visitors can try their hand at making rice dumplings, weaving bags for holding duck eggs, making Dragon Boat Festival wormwood bouquets and other traditional handicrafts.