The 3rd HUST International Student Dragon Boat Friendship Race kicked off at Yujia Lake on the morning of May 14. This event attracted the participation of over 100 Chinese and international students from 19 Schools and 37 countries. Teachers and students from the School of International Education and the School of Physical Education attended the opening ceremony and cheered for athletes. The Jiaolong Team, composed of students from the School of Basic Medicine of Tongji Medical College, won the silver medal in the final and reaped the Best Organization Award, representing the only School receiving this honor.
When the whistle sounded, the lake splashing, drums beating loudly, slogans shouting like thunder, each dragon boat cleaved through the waves, and rushed out like arrows. The Jiaolong team successfully advanced to the final with the first preliminary result.
As a Chinese student from Xinjiang put it, "This is the most meaningful activity I’ve participated this year. Although we were behind the champion less than one second, there is nothing to regret. To me, what really matters is I am doing my part and had gone all out for my team, and I enjoyed the process than the results. I will miss every moment from the rehearsal to the final round".
A Gambian Student MUSA KORA said, "This game has brought me so much excitement, and it gave me an opportunity to understand the history of the Dragon Boat Festival. I enjoy interacting with both Chinese and international students. In this race, I learned that unity is strength".
A girl student Zahrana JAFPOUR from Iran admitted that she was always under great academic pressure and barely had time for relaxation, but this race provided her a chance to make a lot of new friends and realized the charm of teamwork. She was inspired to overcome all the difficulty to pursue her dream of being an excellent doctor.
Dragon Boat Racing is a representative of Chinese traditional sports which can best reflect Chinese culture in many respects. The spirit of sailing in the same boat and striving for the first place is spiritual wealth of the Chinese Nation. This Dragon Boat Friendship Race is helpful for students from China and beyond to better understand Dragon Boat Sports on the one hand, and enriches the extracurricular activities of students on the other hand. More importantly, this event may forge tighter relationships between students from different countries. A good performance in the race entails unity and cooperation from which students may carry forward the spirit of dragon boat and get new insights into a community with a shared future for mankind.
