The annual Qiantang River tidal bore, which is expected to be seen this year during the National Day holiday week, attracts tens of thousands of people from home and abroad. [Photo by Zhou Hong/China Daily]

The Southern Song government even made it a rule to parade its naval forces in the Qiantang River on the 18th day of the eighth lunar month, an event that later developed into the present tide watching festival.

During the festival, expert swimmers line up to test their valor against the might of the tide each year.

There are historical records of men who would attempt to ride the waves of the tide on specially constructed boards.

Known in Chinese as nong chao er or "tide player", they are regarded as the first generation of Chinese surfers.

It is a tribute to their daring and skill that the words nong chao er have now come to mean people who are brave and courageous in the face of adversity.

In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the best site to watch the tide bore was the 5-km stretch of riverbank that now lies between Miaozitou and Six Harmonies Pagoda.