China may seem a world away from Cherokee County, but on June 13 it will be right around the bend when Dragon Boat Racing comes to Lake Weiss.

Dragon boat racing can be traced back 2,000 years to the southern provinces of China, and is celebrated at festivals and races throughout the world.

A dragon boat is a canoe style boat powered by a team of 20 paddlers and one drummer. It is colorfully painted and decorated with a dragon’s head on the front and a tail on the back.

The paddlers are seated two per row and paddle continuously on the same side for the duration of the race. It is the drummer’s job to man the large drums on board, providing a cadence for the paddlers and keeping the boat on track.

“This event will be making history because it is the first time a dragon boat race has ever been on Weiss Lake. I think it will be real exciting for the participants and the spectators,” said Thereasa Hulgan, executive director of the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce.

The dragon boat races will take place around noon on June 13, at Yellow Creek off of Hwy. 273 near the Yellow Creek Fish Camp and Yellow Creek Falls at Paradise Ridge.

According to Hulgan, spectators can travel to the location by car or boat. The event is free and open to the public.

Four teams of local paddlers will be registered to man the dragon boats. Members of Georgia’s Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club will provide the boats, paddles, and instruction the day of the race. There is no charge for team members to participate.

“What we are trying to finalize right now is our four local teams to be in the race,” Hulgan said. “Each team will have 20 rowers and one drummer. You don’t have to be an experienced paddler to be on a team. The members of the Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club will give instructions on the day of the race, and they will have a person in each boat to steer the craft during the race.”

Teams will compete two at a time in a 200 meter race, with the final winners racing against each other for the championship.

Team formation is open to individuals or businesses, but is limited to a total of four teams for the day’s event.

“We have one person in the community forming his own team and some of the volunteer fire departments and sports teams are considering whether or not to participate,” Hulgan said. She encourages individuals and businesses interested in forming a team to contact her at the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce at 927-8455 or cccpc@tds.net before all of the slots are taken.

According to the Indonesian American Association of the Carolinas (ww.iaaotc.org), dragon boats’ origins can be traced to the legend of Qu Yuan, a scholar and advisor to the emperor of the Chu Kingdom.

Legend has it that Qu Yuan jumped into the Mei Lo (Mi Luo) River in despair and protest against government corruption. Local fishermen raced out in their boats to save him. They beat drums and pounded their paddles on the river’s waters and threw rice dumplings wrapped in silk into the river to distract the water dragons and keep them from eating Qu Yuan’s body.

Dragon boating evolved from the re-enactment of this legend at annual festivals.