Dragon boat racing an indispensable part of the Jinjiang Dragon Boat Folk & Culture Festival. [Photo/ ijjnews.com]

As the Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu, draws near, people in Jinjiang, Fujian province, start to commemorate the death of ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan by eating zong zi (glutinous rice dumplings) and racing dragon boats among other colorful customs; all part of a folk and cultural festival.

The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated on the fifth of May in the lunar calendar, and this year it falls on June 9. It can be traced back 2000 years to when Qu Yuan, an honest minister, was said to have committed suicide by drowning himself in a river.

The 5th Jinjiang Dragon Boat Folk & Culture Festival will open on June 8 in the city's Anhai town and last for 3 days. It will reveal the unique charm of Jinjiang, which is destined to be an important point along the Maritime Silk Road. Anhai town was chosen as the host location due to its own traditions and customs for the festival, such as grabbing ducks from the water.

Beautiful Jinjiang. [photo/ ijjnews.com]