  The preservation of cultural heritage, as mandated by the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), is integral to sustainable urban
development. This paper focuses on the Dragon Boat Festival, a prominent event
in Chinese cultural heritage, and proposes leveraging Virtual Reality (VR), to
enhance its preservation and accessibility. Traditionally, participation in the
festival's dragon boat races was limited to elite athletes, excluding broader
demographics. Our proposed solution, named MetaDragonBoat, enables virtual
participation in dragon boat racing, offering immersive experiences that
replicate physical exertion through a cultural journey. Thus, we build a
digital twin of a university campus located in a region with a rich dragon boat
racing tradition. Coupled with three paddling techniques that are enabled by
either commercial controllers or physical paddle controllers with haptic
feedback, diversified users can engage in realistic rowing experiences. Our
results demonstrate that by integrating resistance into the paddle controls,
users could simulate the physical effort of dragon boat racing, promoting a
deeper understanding and appreciation of this cultural heritage.
