The Dragon Boat Race is a traditional sport activity with long history. There are a lot of legends about the origin of this race, the most popular of which is the story of Qu Yuan during the Warring States Period (475-221BC), who was a great patriotic poet and protested against the corrupted regime by jumping into the Miluo River. According to legend, local fishermen, upon seeing their beloved poet's act of courage, raced out with their boats in an attempt to save him. To their dismay, they arrived too late. To prevent his body from being eaten by the fish, they beat the waters furiously with their paddles and threw rice dumplings wrapped in silk into the river to distract the fish. Today, rice dumplings made of steamed glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or lotus leaves and tied with twine, are eaten on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival.

The Chinese dragon is a symbol of the Chinese nation and is usually strong, powerful, protective and benevolent, which is why the dragon boat races are viewed as a means of spreading good luck.

A benediction ritual is to be held before the race, which involves the making of offerings and the chanting of prayers to the heavenly gods. This ritual serves to ward off evil and to sanctify and bless the boats. In addition, it is supposed to make the dragon boats strong and fierce and therefore fit to compete in the exciting races.

On the occasion, a dozen boats went off like so many shots at the starting order, each striving to outpace the other amid the beating of drums on the vessels and cheers of onlookers on the banks.

The Dragon Boat Race prevails in the southern part of the Yangtze River, and is usually held around the Duanwu Festival (the fifth day of the fifth lunar month). The National Sports Committee listed the Dragon Boat Race as an official sport activity in 1984, and in the same year, the first Quyuan Cup Dragon Boat Festival was held in Foshan, Guangdong Province. The Chinese Dragon Boat Association was established in June 1985. In 1995, the International Dragon Boat Association was established and the first Dragon Boat Tournament was held in Yueyang, Hunan Province.

Nowadays, the Dragon Boat Race was not only held in China, but also in over 30 other countries. In the Southeast Asian Games, the Dragon Boat Race is a formal game, and some other countries even propose to add it to the Asian Games. In recent years, the Dragon Boat Race is becoming an international game.