Abstract: "Tianhe" dragon boat race is a folk activity with a long history held around the Dragon Boat Festival in Yuxi River Basin on the north bank of the Yangtze River in Anhui Province. Taking "Tianhe" dragon boat culture inheritance as a case, this paper studies the folk memory, cultural identity and internal order of its cultural inheritance, and makes an in-depth analysis by literature research and field investigation. It is found that the "Tianhe" dragon boat race has a deep connection with the ancient Lingjiatan culture and local cultural history, and the local people have a profound collective cultural memory of this activity and realize independent inheritance. The cultural value identity of dragon boat race is manifested in four aspects: deepening folk beliefs in ritual activities; Continuation of traditional manners and customs in human relations; Forming the collective spirit in the competition; Awakening homeland consciousness in the process of participation. The cultural memory and value recognition of "Tianhe" dragon boat race comes from the practice of participating in dragon boat activities. Cultural tradition is the driving force of inheritance and the core of inheriting Chinese national culture.

Key words: custom activities, cultural inheritance, collective memory, independent inheritance