Every year, on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, crews of paddlers re-enact the legend of Qu Yuan. They power long, narrow boats, their prows mounted with ferocious dragon heads, through the water, to the frenzied, rhythmic beating...

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN Breast cancer survivor dragon boat paddling began at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, Canada. In 1996. Dr. Don McKenzie, a Professor in the Department of Sports Medicine and exercise physiologist, challenged the prevailing medical...

This article is more than 2 years old. This past July, Florence, Italy, hosted an international sporting event. About 3,500 athletes from more than a dozen countries came to town. They were easy to spot. “You saw a lot of pink shirts...

DRAGON BOAT HISTORY The custom of dragon boating dates back more than 2,000 years. Its origin was a commemoration of the patriot poet Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in the Mei Lo River after being exiled from his state. It...

How Dragon Boat Racing Gave Breast Cancer Survivors Back Their Bodies Women who’ve had breast cancer surgery were once told not to exercise strenuously to avoid lymphedema. That was the opposite of the truth. Twice a week last summer, on...