Shanghai's mother river is full of "dragon boat power" this weekend
This weekend, the 20th Shanghai Suzhou River City Dragon Boat Invitational Race started in the waters of Mengqingyuan, COSCO Liangwan City, Putuo District. More than 700 athletes from 36 teams from different countries and regions cut through the waves and raced hard, performing "speed and passion" on the water for us on the Suzhou River.
After twenty years, today's "Suzhou River Dragon Boat Race" is not only a dragon boat feast, but also a wonderful display of Putuo District's achievements in creating a "world-class waterfront space" and "demonstration area". It is also a "reliable people, The spirit of "getting things done".
This year’s event has 36 teams participating in four categories: elite group, college group, public group, and international group. After two days of competition, in the end, in the elite group of 22 people, the Ningbo Qingling Chamber of Commerce dragon boat team won the overall championship; in the college group of 22 people, the Liaocheng University dragon boat team won the championship; in the mass group of 12 people, the dragon boat team won the championship. The North Wing 99 Dragon Boat Team of the Nantong Dragon Boat Association won the championship; in the international group 12-person dragon boat competition, the Russian Vladivostok Tiger Dragon Boat Team won the overall championship. Winning the championship for the first time in the competition, Sevchenko Kirill, a member of the Russian Vladivostok Tiger Dragon Boat Team, said: "After we learned that we were invited to come to Shanghai to participate in the competition, we started preparations 6 months in advance." Starting from the preliminaries , they showed a good competitive state and were the only team to score 53 seconds in the final. "While rowing, you can also enjoy the scenery along the coast. If I have another chance next year, I would like to participate in the competition again." Kirill said.
The event was broadcast live through Shanghai Publishing and other integrated media platforms, attracting nearly one million viewers. At the same time, the Putuo dragon boat mascot MR video, the 20th anniversary intangible cultural heritage concept film "Twenty Years of Craftsmanship", the Muscat dragon boat "first experience" video, etc., have been disseminated on multiple platforms, with a total traffic of over 10 million, further expanding the The influence of the brand "Half-Masu River Dragon Boat Race".
This year, the event has further expanded its international influence by inviting high-level international teams including the Russian Vladivostok Tiger Dragon Boat Team to participate. This was the first time the team came to Shanghai to participate in the Suzhou River Dragon Boat Races. They also won the international championship with their outstanding strength.
The Vladivostok Tiger Dragon Boat Team is one of the earliest dragon boat teams in Russia. The 16-member team brings together three generations of old, middle and young people. The youngest is 18 years old and the oldest is 46 years old. Among them, Kiselev Dmitry, born in 2001, is the third generation member of the team. He has lived in Vladivostok since he was a child. He is a professional kayaker and has won the Russian 19-year-old and National champion in canoeing under 24 years old. “When I was 12 years old, I traveled to Beijing, China, with my family, and this was my first time visiting Shanghai.” Dmitry said, “The city I live in, Vladivostok, is very close to China, so China’s Culture has a great influence on us.”
Despite the language barrier, Dmitry quickly became mingled with the Chinese people with his handsome appearance and cheerful personality. The Russian dragon boat team, with an average height of 1.8 meters per person, can be said to be "good-looking" at the launching and launching pier by the Suzhou River. The team members became the "background" for the audience to take photos first. The humble and studious Dmitry is working hard to learn Mandarin these days in Shanghai. "Hello" and "thank you" have become the words he often talks about.
Poschi Eger is a teammate of Dmitry's canoeing team. He was born in 2002 and is currently studying for a master's degree in physical education at the Russian State Ocean University. This time he also came to Shanghai to participate in the Suzhou River Dragon Boat Race. In the athletes' rest area, several people, including Eger, were the most "noisy", singing, playing football... and could not be "idle" for a moment. Eger, who is good at singing and dancing, even sang the Russian classic song "Katyusha" at the scene. In the past few days in Shanghai, wherever he went, he would hold up his mobile phone and record every detail with images. Egger said: "I want to share it with my family and friends when I go back and tell them that Shanghai is a beautiful city."
Kayaking and dragon boating are both water sports, and the technical movements are relatively similar. For Dmitry and Eger, who have professional foundations, dragon boating is not difficult. When asked why he was attracted to dragon boating, Dmitry believed that dragon boating can bring many people together and move forward to the beat of the drum. "More importantly, it is the most direct and interesting way to understand Chinese culture through this sport." Dmitry, who grew up in a seaport city, is used to seeing strong winds and waves. Dragon boating on the calm and gentle Suzhou River has become a popular way. His new experience, "There are many undercurrents in the sea, but the water level is controlled here, and it feels good to paddle down."
In addition to the participants, the Russian Vladivostok Tiger Dragon Boat Team also has family members accompanying them, and Regina is one of them. Due to work reasons, she has visited many cities in China and can be regarded as a "China expert" in the team. In this competition, she became a member of the cheerleading team and was always paying close attention to the Russian team's competition. In Regina’s eyes, the city of Shanghai has its own unique charm. “After the competition, we will go to Shanghai for a walk. There are both skyscrapers and buildings with Shanghai characteristics. I also made a guide before coming. I hope This time I have the opportunity to deeply experience the culture of Shanghai.”
"Many of our employees have been in China for several years. They have eaten rice dumplings and seen how mugwort is hung, but this is the first time for dragon boat racing during the Dragon Boat Festival." Quan Zhengxin from the L'Oreal Dragon Boat Team said that this time The company's employees from France, Italy, the United States, Colombia, China and other countries and regions joined hands to form a team for the first time to participate in this year's Suzhou River Dragon Boat Race. "It's the same for myself. I've been in Shanghai for a year and a half. I have ten years of dragon boating experience, but this is my first time rowing in Shanghai. It feels very fresh and great!" Quan Zhengxin said.
In order to achieve good results in this Suzhou River Dragon Boat Race, the L'Oreal Dragon Boat Team spent a lot of time training, especially in the month before the start of the race, the team will organize training every weekend. "There are many marathon runners and triathlon participants in our team. It can be said that their physical fitness is 'excellent'. But this is the first time we have formed a team to participate in the dragon boat race. However, after the past month, With more training, our tacit understanding is gradually improving.”
"We didn't get on the podium this time. We just kept doing our best in the competition, but we had to show a sportsmanlike attitude." Quan Zhengxin said, "Everyone in our team enjoyed this process very much. While participating in the competition, I felt the charm of Suzhou River and also appreciated the dragon boat racing spirit of other participating teams.”
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France. The L'Oréal Dragon Boat Team interpreted the beauty of multicultural integration by racing dragon boats on the Suzhou River. "We are lucky to be able to form a team to compete in this important year. Through dragon boat racing, we have demonstrated the spirit of countries being in the same boat and walking hand in hand. It is also the spirit of 'human and dragon unity' that dragon boat people often say. Everyone cooperates with each other , moving towards the same goal," Quan Zhengxin said.
Since 2001, the Shanghai-Suzhou River City Dragon Boat Invitational Tournament has been held in foreign countries for the 20th time. For more than 20 years, reporters have used lenses and words to leave precious memories. As observers and recorders of urban changes, reporters most of the time act as "people behind the scenes."
This year's Suzhou River Dragon Boat Race, the dragon boat team of foreign journalists stationed in Shanghai came to the stage and was invited to participate in the international group competition. They are a joint team of 12 resident journalists from news agencies in Shanghai from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Russia, Japan and other countries. The team members are both fans of traditional Chinese culture and recorders.
Chen Zhiquan, a staff member of the Japanese news agency in Shanghai, has lived in Changning District for five years. Changning District and Putuo District are connected by a bridge and separated by only a river. This gave him the opportunity to observe the development and changes of Putuo District up close. "On weekdays, I cycle from home to the Suzhou River and run along the bank." After his busy work, Chen Zhiquan is a sports fan and is proficient in fitness, running, and cycling. Compared with indoor sports, He prefers outdoor projects where he can get in touch with nature.
When he first came to Shanghai, Chen Zhiquan often worried about finding fitness venues. In recent years, he has clearly felt that "fitness venues are readily available". There are always many fitness enthusiasts gathering along the Suzhou River. All year round, as long as the weather is good, running laps along the river has become a part of Chen Zhiquan's life. The plastic trail he ran under his feet was a microcosm of urban changes - "jumping out" of Putuo and standing in Changning, Chen Zhiquan clearly witnessed the changes in the Suzhou River.
This year, Chen Zhiquan "drilled" into the Putuo section of the Suzhou River and experienced it up close by rowing dragon boats. Looking at the Suzhou River from a different perspective, Chen Zhiquan smiled and said, "There is a big difference": "During the paddling process, I saw birds catching fish, which is not easy to notice during normal running. It was my first time in the water. During the training, I saw with my own eyes that the water quality has improved significantly. "Having worked and lived in Shanghai for many years, Chen Zhiquan is already very familiar with the city, but he admitted that "this is his first time rowing dragon boats."
Among the participating teams in the college group this year, local higher education institutions Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai Ocean University and Shanghai Lixin College of Accounting and Finance have formed teams to compete. The dragon boat team of Liaocheng University and the dragon boat team of Beihua University also came from afar to compete. Added more excitement. At the same time, this year's college group has been upgraded from a 12-person dragon boat race to a 22-person dragon boat race, further improving the scale of the event and the competition level of the college dragon boat teams. The young and strong young men performed "Fast and Furious" on the Suzhou River and became a beautiful scenery.
Among the four local university dragon boat teams from Shanghai, Shanghai Jiao Tong University is special. Not only is this their first time coming to Suzhou River to participate in this event, they are also the only team with both boys and girls. Each team member is an ordinary student from different majors, covering undergraduate, master's and doctoral degrees. They gathered together because of their love and love for dragon boating. Starting from the school club, they gradually became a mature dragon boating team with the support and help of the Sports Department of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Although it was established not long ago, the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Dragon Boat Team has already become quite large. According to team member Yu Tianyi, the team is currently divided into two groups. One team came to Suzhou to compete, and the other team competed in other provinces. Both teams are mixed teams, and 9 of the teams competing in Suzhou River are girls. "We usually have a lot of pressure to study. Dragon boating has become a way for us to adjust our lives. Everyone can find fun in the usual training and activities." Yu Tianyi said, "For us, ranking is not the most important thing in this competition. , the important thing is to enjoy the process of competing with others.”
Dragon boating emphasizes teamwork and requires the strength of each team member. Girls are naturally at a disadvantage in this regard, but Yu Tianyi doesn’t think so: “Paddleboarding not only depends on strength, but also depends on the angle and depth of your downward slide. Flexible adjustments are needed in the competition, and girls also have advantages in this aspect. In fact, if there are no special requirements from the organizer, we will choose to participate in a mixed format, and we will definitely do our best for the honor of SJTU.”
The freshwater lake on the campus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University is a natural place for training. When the dragon boat with a strong Chinese flavor enters the water, it attracts the attention of paddle board and kayak enthusiasts. Many foreign students have also become interested in dragon boat. Get involved. Therefore, the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Dragon Boat Team is not only a mixed team of men and women, but also a dragon boat team with an international flavor. Seven of the team members are international students from Europe, the Middle East and other countries. Marina from Spain said: "I think dragon boating is very attractive as one of the representatives of traditional Chinese culture. Compared with the water sports we have seen before, it has a unique charm and requires teamwork and tacit understanding. This is a A very interesting experience.”
Harbor coach: This is a way to embrace Shanghai’s urban culture
On the morning of the 2nd, Muscat, the head coach of Shanghai Harbor Football Club, appeared at the 20th Shanghai Suzhou River City Dragon Boat Invitational Tournament and had an in-depth experience of this traditional Chinese cultural event during the Dragon Boat Festival.
"I would like to thank the organizers for inviting me to participate in today's dragon boat race. For me and my family, this is a way to embrace Shanghai's urban culture." Muscat said. In March this year, he also took the initiative to sign up for the first marathon in his life - the 2024 Shanghai Suzhou River Half Marathon, with a time of 1 hour and 42 minutes. Today, not only did he watch the dragon boat race held on the Banmasu River in Putuo, but he also boarded the boat with great interest and experienced the feeling of being a "competitor" under the leadership of a professional coach.
After a simple trial rowing, Muscat gained a better understanding of the sport: “Compared to the speed shown by the competitors I saw on the shore, I was obviously much slower when rowing on the boat. To want to To be truly proficient in this sport, you first need to have strength, and at the same time, you need to emphasize the awareness of teamwork, including the issue of everyone working together. "So, if Muscat is asked to choose a dragon boat team player in the harbor team, he will. How will you choose? "Oscar can be the captain. As for me, let's be a drummer! In contrast, I enjoy watching the game on the shore."
As a football coach, Muscat experiences Shanghai's urban culture by participating in various sports events. In his view, every step he takes will help foreigners like him working and living in Shanghai become more integrated into everything around him. At the same time, Muscat also linked football with his two trips to Putuo: "We should promote every sport, especially to the younger generation. We need to popularize sports so that everyone can understand a healthy lifestyle, and at the same time provide Everyone should promote mental health. In fact, each sport can draw on its own strengths and complement each other. Just like today’s dragon boat race, it not only requires strength, but also requires good teamwork. It can only be accomplished by working together.”
