Harry Fozzard | August 30, 2021
The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated in some areas in East Asia where there are populations of ethnic Chinese. It is believed that dragon boat races can drive off the spread of disease that accompanies summer. That is why this is observed during spring time.
Rice dumplings are traditionally eaten during this holiday. The stuffing is mostly made of glutinous rice, beans,salty eggs, meat wrapped in bamboo leaves.
You can enjoy this festive celebration in hotels which offers delectable rice dumplings with special stuffing which you can only buy during the duration of the dragon boat festival in Shenzhen:
Futian Shangri-la, Shenzhen
You can enjoy different kinds of rice dumplings either by dine in or take out from Futian Shangri-la. It’s a perfect gift for family and friends to take pleasure of the season’s dragon boat festival. The prices depend on the kind of filling. For dumplings with lotus seed paste, it costs RMB25 per piece. For Eight treasures, salty pork and egg yolk, pork and dice fish, pork and conpoy, it is RMB30, RMB32, RMB32, RMB68 respectively.
Grand Mercure Oriental Ginza Shenzhen
Grand Mercure Oriental Ginza Shenzhen has prepared special ways at restaurants for enjoy it with you.
You can have lunch and dinner buffet with your friends and family at Coffe Shop. Buffet for adults cost RMB188 and child under 1.4m cost RMB98. The buffet also offer rice dumpling on the 6th of June. The coffee shop is located at the 1st floor of the building.
Located at the 25th floor, Kenzo Teppanyaki Restaurant also offers a japanese-style rice dumplings to all guest on June 6th.
You can also bring your friends and family at the Chinese Restaurant, located at the 3rd floor and enjoy their rice dumplings. Rice dumplings price ranges from RMB31 to RMB36 while rice dumplings gift package cost RMB118 each. All guest will have a free rice dumpling on the 6th of June.
The dragon boat race is actually part of a festival called Dunan-wu Festival. And to make this festival more exciting, dragon boat races sprouted. Dragon boat races are held on rivers and alongside the rivers are crowds of spectators. These races are done annually as part of their folk ritual. To start the race, of course, the boat needs crew in it. Dragon boat festival crews composes of the steersman who controls the boat by using an oar grip to command and lead the crew throughout the race, the drummer considered as the “heartbeat” of the dragon boat and uses a rhythmic drum beat to indicate number and pace of paddle strokes. Paddlers make the boat move forward to the finish line. They paddle in accordance to the beat of the drum.
Dragon boat crews play an important role in dragon boat festival races. If you want to experience a real life dragon boat racing, you may watch the Xinjian dragon boat race that is happening on June 6, 2011. This is located in Chengdu. There is a train schedule from Shenzhen to Chengdu with scheduled departure times of 10:35 and 21:40.
Photo from Grand Mercure Oriental Ginza Shenzhen
For Further Reading:
Legend and Origin of Dragon Boat Festival
Shenzhen Festivals Part 2: Mid-Autumn, Dragon Boat, and Grand Theater
Other Related Topics:
Dragon Boat Festival promotion
Dragon Boat Festival Promotion at Grand Mercure Shenzhen
Futian Shangri-La, Shenzhen Dragon Boat Festival Rice Dumplings