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The 2025 Hainan Island Carnival opened on Saturday, with the Haikou Meilan Fishing Village Dragon Boat Race setting the stage for over two months of cultural celebrations.

The event, held at Xinghai Bay Waterfront in Xinbu Island, features intense 22-crew, 200-meter sprint races, blending tradition with modern competitive spirit.

Organizers have reimagined the typically annual event into a weekly grassroots competition, running through mid-October. The competing teams consist mainly of fishermen, workers, and college students. The tournament includes mixed-gender divisions, with six weekly 200-meter training races, two 200-meter monthly speed races, and a final 500-meter championship on Oct 18. Participants can advance through weekly qualifiers or earn redemption spots in monthly races, with a "Grand Slam" title for those dominating all stages.

A prize pool of 200,000 yuan ($27,500) will be awarded, including 50,000 yuan for the season finale champion.

"In the past, dragon boat races were mainly held during the Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese calendar. Now, the competition has been extended until October, and with the added incentive of prize money, all team members are very excited and will strive for even better results in the upcoming races," said Lei Qi, coach of the Wanning Ganglong dragon boat team, which won the first weekly championship on Saturday.

"Dragon boat racing has deep historical roots and a broad popular foundation in Meilan district. As early as the 1990s, the Xinbu Island fishermen's dragon boat team in the district was already active in national competitions. This year, teams from the district swept both the championship and runner-up titles at the 'Haikou Cup' International Dragon Boat Invitational, further igniting local fishermen's passion to preserve this tradition," said Xing Fangqin, deputy director of the Meilan district's bureau of tourism, culture, radio, television and sports.

"The current Meilan Fishing Village Dragon Boat Race aims to uphold this legacy and energize public engagement - both as spectators and participants," she added.

The dragon boat race on Saturday drew a crowd of over 1,000 spectators. Beyond the races, the festival highlights Meilan district's local cuisine, cultural heritage, and handicrafts, offering dragon boat result predictions, village banquets, and brand markets. Saturday's opener also featured intangible cultural heritage performances, interactive games, and a signature century-old fishing village seafood feast.

The 2025 Hainan Island Carnival runs until Aug 31, with 98 events across the island province promoting tourism and community engagement.