Photo gallery: Off to the dragon boat races
The annual Dragon Boat Festival began in Hong Kong on Thursday. The event, originally a chance to ward off bad spirits, is a celebration of the life of Qu Yuan, a Chinese poet who opposed the corruption of the imperial court.
Participants compete in dragon boat races in Hong Kong on Thursday to mark the Dragon Boat Festival.Kin Cheung
Teams take part in Hong Kong's annual Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Tuen Ng, one of many across the territory.MIKE CLARKE/AFP / Getty Images
A dragon boat approaches the shore during the Tuen Ng festival.TYRONE SIU
Teams take part in Hong Kong's annual Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Tuen Ng, on Thursday.MIKE CLARKE/AFP / Getty Images
Participants compete at the Dragon Boat races in Hong Kong on Thursday. The annual Tuen Ng festival commemorates Chinese poet-statesman Qu Yuan, who according to legend drowned himself in the Miluo River in central Hunana province some 2,000 years ago, to protest government corruption.Kin Cheung
Participants celebrate during the Dragon Boat races in Hong Kong on Thursday.Kin Cheung
Participants race dragon boats at the Tuen Ng festival in Hong Kong on Thursday.TYRONE SIU