More than 150 rowing teams from around the world competed for prizes at the 18th annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York on Sunday.

The two-day event at Meadow Lake in Queens began Saturday with a parade, performances and the New York City Championship race.

The event is not only the nation's largest and oldest dragon boat race, but also celebrates an ancient Chinese tradition.

"This goes back 2,000 years," event chairman Henry Wan was cited by a city news website as saying. "The court officer Qu Yuan drowned himself in the river in protest against state policy, and villagers raced out to save him because he was well-known and well-liked. So every year they re-enact that racing out to save him, which has become dragon boat racing."

Back on the shore, fans enjoyed a variety of activities including a dumpling-eating contest.

Reigning champion Joseph Menchetti beat his own record by gulping down 66 dumplings in two minutes.

(Xinhua News Agency August 5, 2008)