The 16th Shanghai International Student Dragon Boat Race was held on June 6, 2026, at Tonghai Lake on the Fengxian campus of East China University of Science and Technology. The race also marked the 4th edition open to teams from the Yangtze River Delta region. 716 international students from 110 countries and 32 universities in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui took part.

The event was organized by the China Scholarship Council, the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, and the International Student Education Research Working Committee of the Shanghai Education Association for International Exchange. It was hosted by East China University of Science and Technology. Ye Linlin, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, declared the race open.

The Shanghai International Student Dragon Boat Race has been held annually since 2008, with East China University of Science and Technology hosting every edition. In 2022, the event expanded beyond Shanghai to include teams from the Yangtze River Delta region. This year's race featured a mixed-gender 200-meter straight-course sprint, with 32 teams competing—26 from Shanghai universities and 6 from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui.

After the preliminary and final rounds, Fudan University took first place with a time of 52.65 seconds. Zhejiang University and East China Normal University secured second place, while Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Normal University, and Shanghai University of Electric Power took third place.

The Fudan team is made up of international students from 18 countries: Panama, Ukraine, Canada, Iran, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, the United Kingdom, Romania, French Polynesia, the United States, Russia, Thailand, Colombia, Slovakia, Austria, Mongolia, Singapore, and Switzerland.

Team captain Steven Yung-Zong Yang is a Canadian student in the undergraduate medical program at Fudan's Shanghai Medical College. He is serving his third term as captain and said he has learned how to coordinate team members and bring them together. Vice-captain Elizabet Fanni Li, an undergraduate from Hungary majoring in international relations and public affairs, said the training was tough, but the experience has strengthened her teamwork and leadership skills.

Yusuf, a Saudi student from East China University of Science and Technology, competed in the race for the third time. Now a core member of the team, he took the oath on behalf of all participating athletes.

Zeng Yilin, a Chinese-Belgian student from the same university, took part for the first time. He said dragon boat racing is more than a sport—it carries the Chinese cultural identity embodied in the dragon.

Lera, a Russian student from East China Normal University, has competed for four consecutive years, rising from an alternate to team captain.

Kuang Junyi, a Malaysian student from Zhejiang University, said watching his team grow from basic drills to steady progress has been rewarding. The cheers as they crossed the finish line, he added, are what keep him going.

Su Fen, a student from Monaco at Hefei University of Technology, competed for the second time and said she was deeply inspired by the spirit and determination of the teams she faced.

 

Zhu Weihong, Vice President of East China University of Science and Technology, said in his remarks that the dragon boat race, as a key part of the "Experience China" program, has become a way for international students to build friendships and connect with one another. He described the event as more than just a race—it was a moment when people from different countries came together beyond language and borders. As students paddled and raced together, he said, they showed teamwork and determination, forged lasting friendships, and made memories that would stay with them.

Jin Lijun, Deputy Director of the International Education Management Center at East China Normal University, said the university formed its international student dragon boat team to help students gain a deeper understanding of the Dragon Boat Festival culture, settle more comfortably into life in China, and share what they have learned with the world.

Source: East China University of Science and Technology