The dragon boat competition held at the Sanya River on June 18 [Photo by Yuan Chen/Hainan Daily]
Colorful activities were held in Hainan province to mark the Dragon Boat Festival which fell on June 18 this year.
Fifteen teams attended the 2018 Wanning Dragon Boat Open Tournament and competed for the championship at the Taiyang River. Basketball and tug-of-war competitions were also organized in Wanning to create a festive atmosphere and enrich people's cultural lives.
Tourists make rice dumplings at the Hainan Binglanggu (Betelnut Valley) Li and Miao Cultural Heritage Park [Photo by Wu Wei and Pan Daqiang/Hainan Daily]
The dragon boat competition in Ding'an assembled 320 contestants from 20 teams for the 260-m straight track races, which attracted thousands of local residents and visitors who were charmed by the traditional custom.
All the scenic spots around the province also held rice dumpling-making activities and blessing ceremonies. The latter even included a characteristic Hainan custom of showering people with water blessed by a dragon.
As the dragon is a lucky symbol in China, Hainan people believe that the mythical creature often comes down to earth on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival and that the water it swims in becomes healthy to human beings. About 180,000 people visited the Holiday Beach and the West Coast to have a dip in the water during the festival.
Two children play on the seaside in the Dragon Boat Festival as Hainan people believe seawater is good for health on the special day. [Photo by Song Guoqiang/hinews.cn]
Overview
Haikou 
Sanya 
