There were countless boats, each of which had a dragon head and a dragon tail carved its hull (borrowing the implication of “wrath” from the figure of the dragon); 20 strong men were seated on both sides of the boat, each holding big wooden oars (borrowing the implication of “bold and intrepid” from the strength of men); a decorated tent was set up on the boat, with flags and embroidered umbrellas both in front and behind it (bringing the implication of “gorgeous” from the color of these decorations); drums and gongs were beaten (“rhythms”); a rack of weapons were displayed in the back cabin (“sharp”); a person who hanging upside down on the dragon’s head, swaying with the boat (“danger”); and a small child in a bamboo basket was hooked on the dragon’s tail (“danger”, too).

Dragon boats were racing forward despite the surging waves and when they were in occasional whirlpools, the crews would exert all their strength to shift the direction swiftly. Crowds of people would stand ashore, watching the exciting race.