Article By Joy Chiang Ling
photo by Xue Liang
On July 17th morning, members of the press were invited to Central Park for an opportunity to take photos of a dragon boat and its team of rowers, who are due to compete in the 24th Annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival from Saturday, August 9th to Sunday, August 10th.
The competition will be held at Meadow Lake, Flushing Meadow Corona Park in Queens, NY from 9 AM to 5 PM on both days. The Dragon Boat Festival promises to be an international, multicultural sporting and cultural event with over 180 teams from around the world competing for cash and prizes. The festival will also include an opening parade, dragon dance, food, arts and crafts, cultural programs and performances. Admission is free, and the festival will continue rain or shine.
Present at the photo-op was the NYC Parks Commissioner, Mitchell Silver, as well as elected officials, sponsors, VIP’s and traditional Chinese Shaolin Martial Artists. After the press took pictures of the rowing team, the Shaolin Monks showed off their martial arts moves. Following the martial arts performance were announcements by Mitchell Silver and the festival’s planners. To conclude the event, people were invited to paint the eyes of the dragon on the dragon boat for good fortune.
Visit www.hkdbf-ny.org for directions and further information.