On May 24, 2025, the 15th Shanghai Dragon Boat Race and the 3rd Yangtze River Delta University Foreign Students Dragon Boat Race, themed "Dragon Boat Festival: Experiencing China through Zongzi," was successfully held. Over 30 university teams from Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui gathered at the Fengxian Campus of East China University of Science and Technology to participate in this grand event that combined sports competition and cultural experience.

The Fudan University Dragon Boat Team, composed of international students, trained and coordinated for nearly three months. They paddled hard and competed fiercely in the race, ultimately winning the second prize with a third-place finish.

The Fudan University Dragon Boat Team is composed of nearly 30 international students from various countries, including Jordan, France, Russia, Hungary, Japan, Mongolia, Australia, Zimbabwe, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Singapore, Slovakia, Ukraine, Thailand, Canada, the United States, South Africa, Uzbekistan, and Nigeria. The team members have diverse academic backgrounds in humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, and medicine. They include undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students, as well as language learners and visiting students. This multicultural and vibrant team demonstrated a spirit of teamwork, perseverance, and tenacity during training and competitions. As Steven Yong-Song, the team captain and an undergraduate student in the MBBS program from Canada, said, “It is this group of international students who are ‘not afraid of difficulties and hardships’ that have shown their love for dragon boat racing and Chinese culture through their actions.”

Sruang Sidhisamarn, a first-year master's student from Thailand, admitted that she loves sports and wanted to participate in sports with Chinese characteristics after coming to China. "I really like sports, and after coming to China, I wanted to try some Chinese sports," she said. Polina Lesnikova, a master's student from Russia, initially joined the dragon boat team on a friend's recommendation while studying language at the School of International Cultural Exchange. She said, "Dragon boat training helps maintain a balance in life and relaxes the body and mind, allowing me to find a way to relieve stress from my busy studies."

Many team members regard dragon boat racing as a way to understand Chinese culture. Yomi Jordan, a third-year doctoral student from Nigeria, said, "I joined because I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of Chinese culture, especially the symbolic meaning of the dragon and the traditional values of the Dragon Boat Festival." He also pointed out that dragon boat racing tests not only technique but also coordination and sense of rhythm. "You can't paddle too fast or too slow; you have to keep up with the rhythm of the drum. It's all about the power of the team."

The team members have also forged deep bonds through their joint training. Anoud Abulghanam, the team's drummer from Jordan, believes that the drumming is not just for rhythm, but also the core that unites the entire team. She said, "Drumming is not just about making people hear the drum and paddle; it's about unifying the whole team in spirit." Serafym Romaniuk, the vice-captain and an undergraduate student from Ukraine, said, "What I like most is the connection built with teammates during training." Daniel Khong, an undergraduate student from Malaysia, also said, "I enjoy the time we all spend together participating in a sport."

As an important symbol of traditional festivals, the Dragon Boat Festival and dragon boat racing allow international students not only to "see China" but also to "experience China"—understanding the spirit of teamwork and experiencing China's traditional festival culture.

 

Source: Study at Fudan University