Bulgaria's first Dragon Boat Festival kicked off on June 24 in Sofia. The two-day event began with a dragon dance performed by an ensemble from China. During a dragon awakening ceremony afterward, officials painted dragon heads and attached them to four boats participating in a race. Then 26 teams started contests for semi-final qualification. The Dragon Boat Festival was the first Chinese traditional festival to be added to UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.  It was widely recognized as a cultural symbol and an emotional link between antiquity and modernity, between China and the world.