Rowing back the years

Yip Lai-fong loves the colourful spectacle that is dragon boat racing. As a child, she'd beg her family to take her to the annual event in her village in Dongguan. Although she longed to make a splash in the ornately carved boats, all she could do was watch - girls were traditionally barred from competing.

But after more than 70 years, Yip is finally getting her wish to join a dragon boat team.

The former fruit store worker is among 173 participants in a dragon boat race for the elderly to mark the Tuen Ng Festival. The 400-metre race on the Shing Mun River at Sha Tin tomorrow morning will feature eight teams with an average age of 67.

At 80, Yip is the oldest participant. A sprightly woman with a stocky frame, she's no novice rower. She had plenty of boating experience before settling in Hong Kong, she says. 'My village suffered from many floods in the rainy season, and sometimes water levels were as high as two metres. We often paddled out on a tiny boat for fun,' she says.

It's the fourth year that the Hong Kong Society for the Aged (Sage) has organised the race. The idea is to show that senior citizens can lead active, engaging lives. 'The elderly are often viewed as frail and vulnerable, but they can remain energetic until late in life,' says society spokeswoman Maggie Leung Yee-mei.

About 16 per cent of the city's population is aged 60 or above, and the proportion is set to rise in an ageing Hong Kong. There's a need to provide more social activities for the elderly and the dragon boat race is a successful pursuit, Leung says.