Dragon Boat Festival celebrations marked joyous postpandemic reunions yesterday.
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Excitement was electric as crowds gathered across several districts to witness the long-awaited return of dragon boat races, the first since the pandemic ended.
The biggest race of the day was held in Aberdeen, where 45 teams competed in 28 races throughout the day, including 10 teams competing fiercely for the coveted trophy, cheered on by the audience.
Competing for the Fu Hong Society, Lam, who has taken part in dragon boat races for 20 years, said they trained before the race thanks to the good weather.
"We have watched dragon boat races in Sha Tin, but Aberdeen is the birthplace of the race," said Wong, who lives in Yuen Long and brought his family to Aberdeen Promenade. He said his son hopes to become a dragon boat racer.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po attended a ceremony in the afternoon and presented the award to the champion team in the large dragon boat competition.
The Shing Mun River was also bustling with dragon boat teams vying for glory. For many, it was an opportunity to relive the joyous festival experience.
One father in the audience, Chan, expressed delight at being able to bring his daughter out after the pandemic and let her experience the vibrant festival atmosphere.
Thousands of spectators were also attracted to Stanley Main Beach where more than 5,000 rowers in 171 teams competed in 60 different races.
About 1,600 rowers in 56 teams competed in Tai Po, with 8,000 spectators recorded.
Children who came to the race for the first time expressed their excitement and said the athletes were very fast.
"The resumption of the dragon boat race after the pandemic, coupled with the good weather, made the festive atmosphere more enthusiastic than before," said an individual who came to cheer for family members.
As the festivities continued, some residents were busy preparing for another significant cultural practice of the Dragon Boat Festival - the making and eating of rice dumplings.
At the popular Old San Yang store in Causeway Bay, people flocked to buy the festive dumpling. A customer named Lau expressed her preference for the store's rice dumplings as their taste reminded her of her hometown, Shanghai.
Old San Yang owner Sandy Ki Yuk-fung said business was 10 to 20 percent lower than last year, mainly due to fewer corporate customers and mainland customers who bought rice dumplings as gifts.
"The cost of individual flavors has increased by 10 to 15 percent, but the price has not increased in the past two years, resulting in decreased profit," she added.
In the middle of the celebrations, West Kowloon MTR station saw a significant influx of visitors arriving by high-speed rail for the long weekend.
Many of them queued outside the Hong Kong Tourism Board's visitor centers to collect the HK$100 vouchers for tourists.
China Railway says more than 16.2 million mainlanders traveled on trains across the country yesterday.
