The first Zaozhuang Cross-Strait Dragon Boat Race is to be held on the time-honored Grand Canal in Taierzhuang, Zaozhuang, East China's Shandong province, on June 12 -13, just days ahead of Dragon Boat Festival, which is celebrated on the fifth day in May in the lunar calendar and falls on June 16 this year.

From battlefield to friendship

The city of Taierzhuang carries a subtle political connotation through the ups and downs of Cross-Strait relations. In 1938, the Chinese scored a major victory here against the invading Japanese forces under the leadership of Li Tsung-jen, supreme commander of the KMT's fifth War Zone. However, some mainland history experts played down or marginalized the KMT's role in the victory due to the hostile relations between the KMT and Communist Party of China in the past

Things have changed as respect for history and truth has gained momentum in articulating history and defining the present. Once a battlefield between Chinese people and Japanese forces, then an ideological battlefield between the two parties, Taierzhuang now tries to build itself into a thriving platform for exchange and cooperation between the mainland and Taiwan.

KMT honorary chairman Lien Chan once visited Taierzhuang and witnessed the launching ceremony of construction of the Taihe Building. The building, a joint effort of cross-straight designers, will be 45 meters high in seven floors and cover a floor area of 1,000 square meters. It will also serve as a memorial hall for the Taierzhuang battle and an exhibition center for the development of Chinese civilization.

Culturally-loaded city

Besides the battle of Taierzhuang, the city enjoys a reputation in China for its culturally-loaded history. The Old City Zone once was a flourishing commercial center of wealthy business people. The unique architecture also added to its charm. The Old City Zone has been rebuilt in an area of two square kilometers with eight sight-seeing sections.

Programs of the race

Thirteen teams from Taiwan, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and other mainland regions and one international team will participate into the Dragon Boat Race, which is divided into man's and woman's categories.

Zaozhuang started to hold the Dragon Boat Race in 2008 and attracted growing numbers of visitors to the city. Local officials hope it can promote tourism amid its efforts to protect and redevelop the Grand Canal, one of the most important transportation lines connecting Beijing in the north and Hangzhou in the south. The total length of the Grand Canal is 1,794 km (1,103 miles), although periodic flooding of the Yellow River threatens the safety and functioning of the canal.

About the Dragon Boat Festival

The main event of the festivities is the Dragon Boat Race. These boats are long and thin with dragon heads on the bow of the ships. The boat races are said to represent the search for Qu Yuan's body, with boats racing forward while being rowed to the rhythm of beating drums.