Jinji Lake Dragon Boat Race, an annual event in SIP, was named one of the Top 10 Quality Sports Tourism Projects of China in 2022 under a selection that was a parallel program of the 2022 China Sports Culture Expo & China Sports Tourism Expo held last month in Guangzhou, South China’s Guangdong province. Last year, the race was recognized as one of the “Excellent Sports Culture Projects of China” under another selection during the expos.

It is learnt that the 2022 selection has brought to the fore 202 “quality sports tourism projects” including scenic spots, tourist routes and destinations and competitions, of which 64 were declared “Top 10 Quality Sports Tourism Projects” in different categories.

The Jinji Lake Dragon Boat Race was initiated in SIP in 2010 to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival which, reckoned on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar, usually falls in June. It is now far more than a sports event, but also a cultural feast for participants from home and abroad to learn about traditional Chinese culture and enjoy the fun of water sports.

Statistics show that 63 teams consisting of 1,314 people, including eight teams of 154 contestants from 15 other countries and regions, competed in last year’s races, which were watched by about 50,000 locals and tourists on site and viewed 120 million times on line.

Source：苏州工业园区融媒体中心