A Visit to Tai O to Learn about the Tai O Dragon Boat Water Parade, National Intangible Cultural Heritage and the Local Community

Every year during the Dragon Boat Festival, the three fishermen’s associations in Tai O hold the traditional Dragon Boat Water Parade. The local community invites deity statues from four temples in Tai O onto dragon boats, which then parade through the water channels. In 2011, the Tai O Dragon Boat Water Parade was inscribed on China’s national list of intangible cultural heritage. It has also been incorporated into the Primary Humanities curriculum in Hong Kong.

On 20 June 2026, students from the Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) in Sociology and Community Studies and the Bachelor of Education (Honours) in Primary Humanities visited Tai O to learn more about this cultural tradition and the local community. With arrangements made by Dr. Ma Kin Hang and Dr. Li Yuet Man, and with support from the Joint Association of Traditional Dragon Boats in Tai O and SCRC, students had a valuable opportunity to learn from Mr. Cheung Hoi-ping, Vice-chairman of the Joint Association of Traditional Dragon Boats in Tai O, about fishers’ life experiences and the practices surrounding the Dragon Boat Water Parade. The visit also included a dragon-boat experiential activity, which allowed students to row along part of the Dragon Boat Water Parade route and gain first-hand experience of this cultural heritage. By combining dialogue with community member, field-based and experiential learning, the activity enabled students to appreciate the wisdom embedded in local socio-cultural practices and to reflect on the importance of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage.