Dragon boat racing puts modern twist on an ancient tradition

Dragon boat festivities have taken place in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and elsewhere (Chinatopix via AP)

Across the Chinese diaspora, racing in dragon boats has been a tradition reaching back thousands of years.

But change is afoot – most recently in central Taiwan, where the races were switched to the evening to take advantage of cooler temperatures, a refreshing breeze and the sight of the boats lit up with LED lights running the length of the low-lying watercraft.