In this study, with Cite Space literature analysis tool, 838 literatures on dragon boat research retrieved from CNKI database were visualized and analyzed. The research findings are as follows: (1) Since 1987, the literature research in the field of dragon boat has experienced the embryonic stage, rapid development stage and stable development stage. (2) There was only a small amount of cooperation between the authors and the institutions, and the cooperative network was relatively dispersed. (3) Since 1987, research hotspots in the field of dragon boat race include: research on the origin and development of dragon boat race, research on the inheritance and protection of dragon boat culture, research on sports tourism, research on the status quo and countermeasures of dragon boat movement, research on dragon boat race. (4) At present, the research front in the field of dragon boat is the research on ice dragon boat and the research on the inheritance and development path of dragon boat racing from the perspective of cultural confidence.The research believes that the research on the inheritance and development path of dragon boat racing from the perspective of cultural confidence will continue to maintain its popularity and become the research frontier in the future.