On 24th May, the 15th Shanghai Region and the 3rd Yangtze River Delta HEIs International Student Dragon Boat Invitational Race started passionately at Fengxian Campus of East China University of Science and Technology. International student teams from 33 universities in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai and Anhui gathered in Shanghai to perceive the charm of traditional Chinese culture

  The international student dragon boat team of East China Normal University ranked third in the preliminaries with a time of 53'78, successfully entered the finals and finally won the third prize in the finals.

  Huang Meixu, President of International Students Education Research Committee, IEAS and Director of Global Education Centre of East China Normal University, hosted the opening ceremony.    

   After the opening ceremony, the race officially started. With the order of the referee, the participating teams rushed out of the starting point like arrows. The members of ECNU  team rowed hard to the finish line. More than 150 ECNU international students came to cheer for the ECNU Dragon Boat team.

  As a cultural exchange activity held continuously for fifteen years, the Dragon Boat Race for International Students from Shanghai Universities has evolved from a traditional Dragon Boat Race among Shanghai universities to a landmark platform for international students in the Yangtze River Delta region to experience Chinese culture in-depth and build up team spirit. With the increasing number of participating teams, the overall strength of each university team has been improving. This spiritual resonance across borders culminates in the final.

  After the recruitment notice for the ECNU International Student Dragon Boat Team was released, students signed up with great enthusiasm. The team members came from 12 countries, including Azerbaijan, Myanmar, Canada, Kyrgyzstan, South Korea, the United States, Mongolia, Norway, Russia, Singapore, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, and the students covered different types of students, such as language students, undergraduates, and postgraduates. The hearts were united by the same dream.

  During the preparation period, the members of the dragon boat team devoted themselves to the training with full enthusiasm and firm will.

  The international student dragon boat team of ECNU not only won the honour for the university, but also showed the way how international students actively integrate into Chinese culture and inherit Chinese traditional sports spirit. They've gained something more precious than a prize. In this event, international students wrote down their unforgettable stories of ‘study at ECNU’ and ‘reading China’!

    上海市高校国际学生龙舟赛从最初的上海高校活动，发展至如今覆盖江浙地区，成为留学生体验中国文化的重要平台。我自第一届起便参与其中，15年从未缺席，见证了赛事的每一步成长。赛事影响力不断扩大，吸引了更多高校国际学生参与，彰显了龙舟赛作为中华文化载体的普适性。

在华东师大龙舟队中，留学生们用行动诠释了“同舟共济”的深层内涵，队员们通过高强度训练提升体能与技巧，备赛期间自发加练、互相纠正动作，将“竞争”转化为“共同进步”的动力。2014年，华东师大龙舟队获得冠军，同学们激动地喊出“华师大，最厉害！”，那一刻我很感动，这是他们对团队和学校最真挚的情感流露。无论获得什么名次，在我心中都是最厉害的团队，他们的拼搏精神和团队凝聚力感染了我。

---黄美旭（国际教育中心主任）

  An unforgettable day at the International student Dragon Boat race! The synchronized paddling, vibrant cultural performances, made it a perfect celebration of unity and tradition. Thank you for this wonderful experience.

---MARK ANTHONY VILLON（菲律宾驻沪领事）

  我和妻子非常喜欢华东理工大学举办的传统龙舟赛。今年，我们有机会亲眼目睹这场精彩的比赛，来自华东地区多所高校的队伍齐聚一堂，展现了团结与拼搏的精神。

这样的龙舟赛不仅是一项体育竞技，更是连接不同民族、不同文化的纽带。中国一直致力于传承和弘扬这一优秀传统，我们深感自豪。通过比赛，我们看到了团结、拼搏和友谊的力量，这正是龙舟精神的魅力所在。

---OLEG TIMONIN（俄罗斯驻沪领事）

  这是我第一次在现场看龙舟比赛，非常精彩。以前学汉语的时候老师讲过端午节和龙舟赛的习俗，但亲眼看到比赛还是很不一样。选手们配合得很好，大家一起努力划船，速度很快。我觉得他们很厉害，也能感受到中国人对传统节日的重视。这次经历让我更喜欢中国文化了。

---罗琪（华师大马达加斯加籍学生）