2019-06-05

Dragon boating offers foreign students a window into Chinese culture

Dragon boating offers foreign students a window into Chinese culture
By He Qi in Shanghai | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2019-06-04 16:28


More than 1,000 foreign students from 29 local universities participated in this year's Shanghai International Students Dragon Boat Race on June 1.

Jointly organized by the Shanghai Education Committee and the Institute of Shanghai Universities Foreign Student Education, the annual race took place at the Fengxian campus of the East China University of Science and Technology.

The team from the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics won first place, followed by East China Normal University and Donghua University.

Soumaila Souley Aboubacar, a doctoral student at the East China University of Science and Technology who participated in the race, said that training and discipline was key to the team's success.

"We trained two to three times per week for almost three months before the competition," said the Nigerian, who has been studying at the university for about eight years.

"It was really nice to be part of a festival which is attended by people from different cultures. Our team alone comprised students from over 15 countries. This sport has united people with Chinese culture," he added.

Aboubacar's Italian teammate Ilaria Gatta felt the same way.


"The training before the competition made us excited and united," said the 25-year-old.

"Being here with many foreign students and representing our university drove us to push harder. I feel that it is important to participate in what is important in China."

Li Tao, vice-principal of the East China University of Science and Technology, said that the annual race, which has been held since 2008, has become a platform for international students to experience Chinese culture and promote international friendship.

"Dragon boat racing is a Chinese tradition. The activity is about people's expectations for good weather and good luck in the coming year and it also carries the cultural spirit of a win-win cooperation," Li said.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Education, more than 61,400 international students came to study in Shanghai in 2018.