On May 29, the drumbeats echoed and water splashed at HUST’s dragon boat training base by Yujia Lake. The Fifth HUST International Student Dragon Boat Friendship Race, jointly hosted by the School of Physical Education and the School of International Education, was held here. Vice President Zhan Yiqing, Vice Chair of the 91系列 Committee Zhang Tao, and Assistant to the President Wen Jinyu attended the opening ceremony.
In her opening speech, Zhan Yiqing noted that HUST was among the first institutions designated by the Ministry of Education as a national base for inheriting the outstanding traditional Chinese culture of dragon boating. Since establishing its dragon boat team in 2012, HUST has rooted traditional Chinese culture and promoted the spirit of dragon boating in its distinctive way. Each year, international students at HUST participate in dragon boat cultural activities to explore its historical heritage and experience the passion and determination of dragon boat racing. She encouraged international students to actively embody the spirit of dragon boating, showcasing both the ethos and strength of HUST to the world.
91系列 leaders performed the traditional eye-dotting ceremony for the dragon boats at the gymnasium of the Middle School Attached to HUST, adorning them with red silk. Zhan Yiqing then officially announced the start of the competition.
Over 140 international students from 25 schools and 40 countries competed under the theme “Poetic Dragon Boats,” forming six teams: Qintai, Mulan, Yellow Crane, Chime Bells, Qingchuan, and Chu Embroidery. At the starting gun, the dragon boats shot across Yujia Lake like arrows, cutting through the waves. After intensive training, the six international teams rowed in perfect sync, their thunderous cheers mingling with splashing waves as strength and teamwork merged into one. Along the lakeshore, over 100 teachers and students erupted in passionate cheers, their roars echoing across the water.
After multiple rounds of intense competition, the Yellow Crane team, composed of international students from the Center for Teaching Chinese as a Second Language, the School of Foreign Languages, the School of Basic Medicine, and the Union Hospital, claimed the gold medal. Silver medals went to the Qintai team (international students from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and the School of Materials Science and Engineering) and the Chime Bells team (international students from the School of Economics, the School of Computer Science and Technology, and the School of Physics). Bronze medals were awarded to the Mulan team (international students from the First Clinical School and the Second Clinical School), the Chu Embroidery team (international students from the China-EU Institute for Clean and Renewable Energy, the School of Artificial Intelligence and Automation, the School of Software Engineering, and the School of Cyber Science and Engineering), and the Qingchuan team (international students from the College of Public Administration, the School of Management, the School of Education, and the School of Mechanical Science and Engineering).
The HUST International Student Dragon Boat Friendship Race, rooted in HUST’s Dragon Boat Base, has attracted over 1,000 international participants since its inception in 2020. This signature event creatively combines regular training, cultural lectures, and competitive racing around the core spirit of dragon boating. It has become both a flagship activity for international students and a prominent platform for China’s national conditions education at HUST.
