Qintong Boat Festival

"Ecological wetland tour, folk custom boat viewing; Ten-mile Qin Lake is rippling with blue waves, and thousands of poles and oars are racing against the spring tide." On the morning of April 7th , the second China Wetland Ecotourism Festival and the '2007 China Jiangyan·Qintong Boat Festival were grandly opened in Qinhu National Wetland Park. Nearly 500 local boats and tens of thousands of sailing athletes gathered in Qin Lake. There were dense crowds around the lake, with nearly 100,000 spectators and tourists. Envoys and their wives, merchants, and friends from 47 countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, Japan, South Korea, and Romania also came here to see the ecological scenery of the wetland and the spectacle of "the best meeting ship in the world" scene.

At 9 a.m., the "Two Festivals" officially opened, with gongs and drums, wind instruments playing, and firecrackers blasting over Qin Lake. Speedboats were speeding on the lake, colorful balls were taking off, paramotors were flying, and lines of golden, green and blue colored silk were drawn out that symbolized the charm of the "Three Waters". Shili Qin Lake was suddenly full of passion.

For this year's opening ceremony, Jiang Yan invited professionals to carefully plan, with the theme of "harmony", and organize two festivals around harmony. The two festivals will be held well to promote harmony, with the aim of "shipping the world." While continuing to uphold the grand momentum of the Qintong Boat Meeting, the grand scene of thousands of poles and oars, and the grandeur, it also gives the Boat Meeting a new connotation, taking the folk customs of the Boat Meeting that have been passed down for thousands of years as the main line, and adding historical legends and folk songs. , carefully designed six progressive chapters: "Prologue, Fighting on the Water, Praise of Heroes, Hundreds of Battles for Hegemony, Dragon in the Golden Age and Epilogue", which spans nearly two hours.

A song "The River is Red" kicked off the boat show at the opening ceremony of the "Two Festivals". In the sound of powerful music, five warships (tribute ships) of the Yue Family Army led hundreds of pole boats in four rows and sailed from the depths of history, bringing the audience into the first chapter "Battle on the Water". Under the leadership of the boat, the history of the warship performance presented the magnificent scene of the Yue Family Army's resistance to the Jin Dynasty in the past. The roar of cannons, the sound of drums shook the ground, the waving of flags and shouts, and the sound of killings shook the sky. Amidst the majestic music, five huge and broken military flags on the five ships were raised together at the climax of the chapter, telling the story of the tragedy and glory under the setting sun!

The boat parade performance transitioned to the second chapter "Praise to Heroes" amidst the music of "Victory Order". Three tribute boats each surrounded eight rowing boats and sailed in a "one" shape. Wearing colorful clothes in ancient costumes and wearing silver gauze streamers, they presented flower baskets to the rebel soldiers. Fathers and villagers in ancient civilian costumes carried pigs, sheep, and wine jars to express their condolences to the soldiers and express their thanks. Immediately, three thousand peace doves were released together, and all rowing and punting boats were spread out in a scattered perspective. Amidst the melodious dove whistle, all the soldiers and villagers raised their hands to the sky, and all the pole players raised their long poles in unison, praying for eternal peace and tranquility. Recreate the process of the Qinhu military and civilian resistance against the Jin Dynasty gradually evolving into the Qintong boat meeting folk activity that has been passed down for thousands of years.

The most amazing thing is the third chapter "Hundred Companies Struggle for Hegemony", where more than 100 punt boats and rowing boats are seen moving in response to the sound. Suddenly, there are forests of bamboo poles on the water, and thousands of boats are competing; The shore was packed with people and shouts. Raising the pole is like spears arrayed in formation, lowering the pole is like a giant python entering the water, and the rising and falling of the pole is like thousands of troops plundering the plains. It is unstoppable. In an instant, thousands of waves bloomed on the water surface in unison, and crowds on the shore of the lake rejoiced. Thousands of poles and oars were like thousands of drum hammers, beating earth-shattering drumbeats on the drum surface of Qin Lake; they were also like thousands of colored pens, Splash the heaven and earth of the water town into a colorful and beautiful picture.

The fourth chapter "The Dragon in the Golden Age" brings the entire performance to a climax. The extras on the newly decorated and distinctive gorgeous tribute boat sing and dance, performing various local dramas and local folklore programs. . Lianxiang drum singing, butterfly fan dance, elk dance, horse lantern dance, and river clam flower boat. After you sing, I will appear on the stage. The local accent and slang are accompanied by the melodious music of the pipe and flute, echoing on the lake for a long time. In the song "The World Will Meet Qintong", 21 balloon dragons were released together to pray for the harmony and happiness of mankind in the 21st century.

temple fair". The rich water town customs and unique boat culture have made the Boat Festival a national key tourism project, included in the top ten folk festivals in the country, and the first batch of intangible cultural heritage in Jiangsu Province. Gao Jiming, member of the Standing Committee of the Taizhou Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Jiangyan Municipal Party Committee, said at the opening ceremony that the Qintong Ship Meeting is not only a folk custom, but also a spirit, which embodies the spirit of Jiangyan people chasing after each other and striving to be the first. The Boat Festival is presenting itself to the world as a cultural grand event, an economic and trade gathering, and a folk customs expo. It has become a key national tourism project and has been praised by people at home and abroad as "a grand spectacle of folk culture and an expo of waterside customs." < /p>

Qinhu Wetland Park, where the Boat Festival is held, is the second national wetland park in the country and the first in Jiangsu Province. It is a national AAAA tourist attraction and a national water conservancy scenic spot, covering an area of ??2,600 hectares. There are 113 species of plants and 73 species of wild animals. Qinhu Wetland is also the habitat of national rare animals - elk, red-crowned crane and alligator. The "Two Festivals" are held to integrate the original ecology and cultural landscape here, and the historical style and the customs of the times complement each other here.

The Boat Festival, "Meeting boats to make friends and making friends all over the world", not only made Jiang Yan popular, but also earned "wealth". It is reported that on the afternoon of the 6th, 56 projects were officially signed, including 7 projects with agreed foreign investment of more than 10 million US dollars, and a total agreed foreign investment of 153 million US dollars; 9 privately funded projects with a total investment of more than 50 million yuan, with a total investment of 1.435 billion Yuan. After that, exciting activities such as the International Hardware Purchasing Festival, Qinhu Eight Fresh Food Festival, OCT Folk Culture Wetland Tour, etc. will also be held one after another. CCTV's gold medal program "Passion Square" will sing about Qinhu on May 6. "Two Festivals" brings a "water feast" that blends water and land.