On November 27th, the Second HUST International Student Dragon Boat Friendship Race was successfully held by Yujia Lake at Dragon Boat Training Base. Forty-two international students from more than 10 schools formed three teams, team Lion, team Tiger, and team Panther, competing in the 200-meter straight track race.

Jing Ling, Party Secretary of the School of Physical Education, Ma Rong, Party Secretary of the School of International Education, Mao Lifei , the Deputy Director of the Graduate School, Liu Shaoyuan, Vice Dean of the School of Physical Education, Zheng Qiang, He Gang, and Gao Xiang, Vice Deans of the School of International Education were present to watch the game and cheer for the athletes.

At nine o 'clock in the morning, the athletes geared up and boarded the dragon boat for time trail. Each team had drawn tremendous confidence from the trails and could not wait for the race to start. Team Panther, last year’s winner, was keen to make a strong return to this year’s friendship race.

Different from last year, a lion dance performance and the dragon boat “awakening” ceremony was held during the opening ceremony. The students were deeply impressed by the performance. They cheered and whistled when the performer holding the lion head was lifted to imitate a standing lion. The “awakening” ceremony was the climax. Ms. Jing Ling, Mr. Ma Rong, and Mr. Liu Shaoyuan were invited to perform this ancient ritual, crowning the dragon head with red silk and painting on the dragon face with shimmering ink. 

At eleven o’clock, as Ms. Jing Ling announced the start of the race, the Second HUST International Student Dragon Boat Friendship Race was officially kicked off. The three dragon boats galloped towards the finishing line like arrows off the string. As they racing across the lake, the individual disappeared into the collective, and each team was synchronized in terms of rhythm and paddling style. At beginning, Tiger was far ahead with Panther closely chasing after. In the last 50 meters, Lion came from behind and crossed the line first, winning by a hair! Tiger and Panther won the second and third place respectively.

Mr. Ma Rong gave the speech before the awarding ceremony. He first congratulated all the athletes on their achievements in the race, hoping that they would continue to bring the Chinese dragon boat spirit to their future life and study, set sail in the ocean of knowledge, strive for the top, and contribute to the exchange and mutual learning of the world’s multiculturalism.

After the speech, the leaders on the scene awarded the medals to each winning team. All the international students were immersed in the joy of victory. "One more time, we can go faster! I have to do it again next year, I love it!" said Abdullah Md Risat, from the School of Energy and Power Engineering, Bangladesh.

The dragon boat friendship race was meant to enrich international students’ after-school life in the midst of pandemic, and at the same time, to enhance students’ understanding of the dragon boat culture and let them feel the charm of dragon boat racing.