Dragon Boat Festival got underway after a grand opening ceremony in Qu Yuan's hometown of Yichang, Hubei province on Thursday night.

Rao Quan, vice-minister of Culture and Tourism, said Dragon Boat Festival, or Duanwu Festival, is an important traditional festival for Chinese people.

"The cultural resonance and activities of the festival have become increasingly rich after years of development, and have gradually become a comprehensive festival celebrated by people of all ethnic groups throughout the country," Rao said at the opening ceremony on Thursday night.

Wang Li, vice-governor of Hubei province and Party chief of Yichang city, said Qu Yuan culture is the treasure of Chinese culture and a pearl of Yangtze River culture.

"The festival will help further promote and spread Qu Yuan culture at home and abroad," Wang said.

The festival, which fell on Friday this year, is held on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. It dates back about 2000 years.

A dragon boat racing competition was held, attracting a total of 16 teams with more than 400 participants from around the country .

To commemorate Qu Yuan, a great patriotic poet, an international forum on Qu Yuan cultural research will also be held during the festival to promote its transformation and development.

An investment and trade fair and a series of cultural and theatrical performances will be organized.

The event is jointly organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Hubei provincial government. It has been held for six times since 2010, with an average of 150,000 annual participants.