Qu Yuan's Hometown Welcomes International Youth to Experience Dragon Boat Festival Folk Customs and Rural Industries

During the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, the 2026 International Youth Leadership Training and Exchange Camp visited Zigui, Hubei. Youth representatives from 10 countries, including the United States, Italy, and Singapore, took part in dragon boat activities at the hometown of Qu Yuan, learned to make zongzi, made sachets, and visited local特色 industries, getting a closeup experience of Chinese Dragon Boat Festival culture. At the dragon boat race dragon head dotting ceremony, some international youths were invited to use a brush to dot the eyes, and then watched the dragon boat races on the river. The youth representatives said that these traditional folk customs gave them a more intuitive understanding of Chinese culture and helped them feel the cultural significance behind the festival. In addition to the folk culture experience, the youths also visited the Zigui navel orange industrial park to learn about the full industrial chain from seedling research and development to deep processing. The report noted that the local area relies on facilities such as drones, mountain rail cars, and processing production lines to promote the upgrading of the navel orange industry, while also driving employment and increasing farmers' incomes, showcasing a development path that combines traditional agriculture with modern technology.