Photo: Courtesy of organizers

Team Jiangxi has won the national championship of the 2019 dragon boat tournament, after being overshadowed by archrivals Shunde in the finale over the weekend.

It was a close race held in Hechuan, Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, with team Jiangxi winning the men's 100- and 200-meter sprints, while Shunde won the 500-­meter pursuit in a photo finish. 

There was also a close title race in the women's competition, as Team Jiujiang, who represented China at the 2018 Asian Games, defeated the Northeast Electric Power University (NEEPU) team, who represented China in this year's dragon boat world championships.

Both teams have won clean sweeps in the series this season, which toured seven cities across the country. 

Concluding the season, He Yi, secretary-general of Chinese Longzhou Association, said next year's national dragon boat races will feature international players. 

"We are also considering setting up new competition disciplines that could invigorate the sport," He told reporters in Hechuan, which hosted the World Cup last year. 

"We hope the moves can boost the popularity of this Chinese tradition."

Dragon boat racing is considered a traditional human-powered watercraft race that originated from China. 

The crew of a standard dragon boat is typically 22, consisting of 20 rowers in pairs facing toward the bow of the boat, a drummer at the bow facing toward the rowers and a talisman standing at the rear.