On May 17, the "Dragon Awakening Ceremony" of the Yanbu Ancient Dragon Boat—the oldest existing dragon boat in China and a centuries-old icon of the Pearl River Delta—was held in Dali Town, Foshan's Nanhai District. This marked the official launch of the 2025 Dali Dragon Boat Festival Celebration.

At the ceremony, Shao Juxi, the Guangdong Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage representative inheritor of the Yanbu Ancient Dragon Boat rituals, recited blessing texts to commence the Dragon Awakening Ceremony. Seasoned villagers then performed traditional rituals, including prayers and the ceremonial dragon boat feast, drawing crowds of spectators.

Dating back to 1432 during the Ming Dynasty's Xuande era, the Yanbu Ancient Dragon Boat is crafted from kongta hardwood. Measuring 36.8 meters (excluding the dragon head and tail), with 68 seats and weighing approximately 4 tons, it was listed in Guangdong's 4th Intangible Cultural Heritage catalog in 2012 and recognized as a "Chinese Sports Intangible Heritage" preservation project in 2013.

The month-long Dali Dragon Boat Festival Celebration will feature over 20 dragon boat races of varying scales, serving as a prelude to the 15th National Games. This cultural extravaganza will showcase Foshan's unique dragon boat heritage while amplifying the region's cultural soft power ahead of the national sporting event.