Duanwu Day, the local women and children, all wearing new clothes, forehead corner with xionghuang dipped in wine painted a king. Anyone can eat fish and meat on this day. About eleven o'clock in the morning or so, the whole Chadong people ate lunch, after the meal, in the city to live at home, not lock the door, the whole family out of the city to the river to see the rowing boat. River Street has acquaintances, you can go to the river street hammock door side to see, or else stand in front of the tax gate and the various docks to see. The dragon boat in the river starts somewhere in Changtan and finishes in front of the tax gate. The boats compete in a race. On this day, tax officials and local dignitaries watch the competition in front of the tax gate. Rowing things in a few days before the people have been prepared, divided into groups of gangs each selected a number of strong body hands and feet clever young man, in the pool to practice in and out. The form of the boat, and the usual wooden boat is very different, the shape of all long and narrow, the two ends of the high up, the hull is painted with red color long line, the usual season more in the river in the dry cave, when you want to use it, dragged down to the water. Each boat can sit twelve to eighteen oarsmen, a leader, a drummer, a gong player. Each oarsman holds a short oar and rows the boat forward to the beat of the drum. Sitting on the bow of the boat, his head wrapped in red cloth, holding two small flags, waving left and right, directing the boat in and out. Drums and gongs, mostly sitting in the middle of the boat, the boat will be instantly pong pong boring boring the drums and gongs very simple to beat up for the oar sailors to adjust the paddle beat. A boat fast and slow both had to rely on the drums, so whenever the two boats race to the intense, drums such as thunder, coupled with the two sides of the people shouting and cheering, it reminds people of Liang Hongyu storks when the old water war drums, Niu Gao water to capture the youngest Yang is also a water war drums. Where the boat rowed to the front of a little bit, will be able to receive a reward in front of the tax pass, a red, a small silver medal, not bound to hang to a person on the boat head, all show that the boat cooperation of the honor. The good thing about the soldiers, and when each time a boat victory, will be in the water's edge to put some of the victory celebration of 500 firecrackers.
After the boat race, the garrison chief of the city, in order to have fun with the people and increase the happiness of the festival, they put thirty green-headed, long-necked male ducks with red cloth tied around their necks and shoulders, and put them into the river, so that all the people and soldiers who were good at swimming could go down to the water to chase the ducks. Whoever catches the ducks will be the owner of the ducks. So Changtan has changed into a new pattern, and there are ducks everywhere on the water, and there are people chasing ducks everywhere.
The race of the boat with the boat and the race of the people with the ducks could not be finished until late in the day. (Border Town)