Ice dragon boat race aims to bolster Sino-UK bond

The frozen Songhua River in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, came alive with the sound of drums and the rhythmic clanging of ice picks, as nearly 200 members of ice dragon boat teams vigorously struck the icy surface to move forward, drawing enthusiastic cheers from the spectators.

The "HIT-Cambridge-Oxford Cup" Ice Dragon Boat International Friendship Race, hosted by the Harbin Institute of Technology, started on Saturday morning, attracting 14 teams from Oxford and Cambridge universities in the United Kingdom, the C9 League, which is an alliance of nine public universities on the Chinese mainland, including the HIT, as well as the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and the University of Macau.

"It is an amazing experience," said Edward Townsend, 22, a graduate student from Cambridge. "The weather is much colder in Harbin. In the UK, the lowest temperature is around -5 C, while here it's -20 C."

"We have a tradition of rowing on the River Cam, but it is the first time we've ever done the dragon boat race on the ice. It is not only a big physical challenge, but also a test of team spirit," he added.

The Cambridge team shared the first prize with the teams from Nanjing University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the HIT. While four teams won the second prize, six shared the third prize.

Since 2019, the HIT has hosted three ice dragon boat races for the C9 League, which also comprises Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Nanjing University, Zhejiang University, the University of Science and Technology of China and Xi'an Jiaotong University.

Wu Jian, executive deputy director at the HIT's International Cooperation Division, said that universities from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and the UK were invited to join the race for the first time.

"We hope to foster more interactions among top universities from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and the UK by promoting traditional Chinese culture and ice and snow culture, enhancing cultural confidence, and increasing the HIT's international influence," Wu said.

Furthermore, by leveraging Harbin's ice and snow resources, "we hope to create a unique brand of university interaction, offering a dual experience of winter ice dragon boat race in Harbin and traditional summer water rowing at Oxford and Cambridge", he added.

Chan Cheungying, 22, a participant from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said her team demonstrated good coordination in the race despite having no ice and snow sport experience, and she was proud of its performance.

"Before the race, HIT coaches trained us, providing a comprehensive understanding of a sport that we had never participated in. We did our best," she said.

Chan noted that in recent years, more and more young people in Hong Kong are taking active interest in winter sports.

"I have some skiing experience — on the slopes in Canada and at an indoor ski resort in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. It is really interesting. I hope we have such facilities in Hong Kong in the future, which will allow locals easy access to ice and snow activities," she said.

Chen Jie, Party secretary of the HIT and an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said the ice dragon boat race aims to become an "ark" for promoting more cultural exchanges and better understanding between young people from China and the UK.

"In traditional Chinese culture, the dragon boat symbolizes unity, progress and excellence, which align closely with the British values of courage, courtesy and responsibility," Chen said. "The unique medium of the ice dragon boat connects Cambridge and Oxford, which have a rich history in rowing, to the HIT, which is known for its century-long excellence in engineering."

During their trip in Harbin, students and teachers from Oxford and Cambridge also visited the aerospace museum and other sites at the HIT.

Contact the writers at zhouhuiying@chinadaily.com.cn