As the Dragon Boat Festival approaches, the 2025 China Dragon Boat Open in Jingzhou City of central China's Hubei Province officially kicked off on Saturday morning, drawing a total of 35 teams from across the country, with nearly 1,000 athletes, coaches, and referees to the ancient city. The two-day event features three competition categories: the Men's Open, Women's Open, and the Amateur Group. The Men's and Women's Open categories consist of 16 teams from across the nation, while the Amateur Group comprises 19 teams, with participants from all walks of life. After making sufficient preparations, all teams offered their best performances to celebrate the sportsmanship, as well as the approaching festival. "Everyone's teamwork performance and the cooperation of the whole team were excellent," said Zheng Changxin from the Fuzhou Dragon Boat Team, who championed the group stage of the 100-meter straight race with a stunning performance of 21 seconds. Duanwu, or the Dragon Boat Festival, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar to commemorate Chinese poet Qu Yuan from the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.), and has now become a national holiday when people enjoy eating zongzi and watching dragon boat races. SHOTLIST: Jingzhou City, Hubei Province, central China - May 24, 2025 1. Dragon boat race in process; 2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zheng Changxin, leader, Fuzhou Changle Huiquan Dragon Boat Team: "Everyone's teamwork performance and the cooperation of the whole team were excellent."; 3. Various of dragon boat race in process. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]