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China's Dragon Boat festival in pictures

Dragon boat races held across China to celebrate Duanwu Festival

Photo {{sliderIndex+1}} from 10

Performers adjust their costumes backstage before the opening ceremony of the Dragon Boat festival at the Olympic Water Park in Beijing, May 30

© AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein

Dragon boat teams race toward the finish line during the Dragon Boat festival in Aberdeen fishing harbour in Hong Kong, China, May 30

© EPA/JEROME FAVRE

A dragon boat team races in Aberdeen fishing harbour in Hong Kong, China

© EPA/JEROME FAVRE

Crew members prepare their boat in Beijing

© AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein

Hostesses stand with trophies as they wait for an awards ceremony at the Olympic Water Park in Beijing

© AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein

Teams of dragon boat racers paddle their boats at the Olympic Water Park in Beijing

© AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein

Dragon boat teams race in Aberdeen fishing harbour in Hong Kong

© EPA/JEROME FAVRE

A woman poses for a photo with a character dressed like a zongzi, a traditional Chinese sticky rice dumpling, during the Dragon Boat festival in Beijing

© AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein

Performers in costume stand backstage before the opening ceremony of the Dragon Boat festival in Beijing

© AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein

A Chinese girl plays with a mask at Houhai Lake during the Duanwu Festival public holiday, known as the Dragon Boat Festival in Beijing, China, 30 May 2017. Chinese people celebrate the three-day holiday for the Dragon Boat festival or Duanwu Festival which falls on 30 May 2017, the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar in honor of Qu Yuan, an ancient Chinese poet and statesman during the Warring State of the Zhou dynasty.

© EPA/HOW HWEE YOUNG

The Duanwu Festival, also known as the Dragon Boat Festival, is a traditional holiday originating in China. The festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar and is marked by eating rice dumplings and racing dragon boats. Rowers show off their months of rigorous practice in festive races off the shores of China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, Malaysia and Singapore. The festival is meant to mark the summer solstice, ushering in a new season of health and well-being.

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