Harbin hosts Heilongjiang Ice Dragon Boat Race

English | 2026-01-11 17:54:27

杨晓来源：chinadaily.com.cn

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The "HIT-Cambridge-Oxford Cup" Ice Dragon Boat International Friendship Race, hosted by Harbin Institute of Technology, kicks off on Saturday morning in Harbin, Heilongjiang province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Ice Dragon Boat International Friendship Race, hosted by Harbin Institute of Technology, took place in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, on Saturday.

Among the 14 teams competing in this year's "HIT-Cambridge-Oxford Cup" were teams from China's C9 League, as well as the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and University of Macau, Cambridge University and Oxford University.

HIT has hosted three ice dragon boat races among C9 League - Peking University, Tsinghua University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Nanjing University, Zhejiang University, University of Science and Technology of China, Xi'an Jiaotong University - since 2019.

"This winter, for the first time, we invited universities from Hong Kong, Macao, and the UK," said Wu Jian, executive deputy director of the International Cooperation Division at HIT.

"We hope to promote interaction between top universities from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, and the UK, promoting Chinese traditional culture and ice and snow culture, enhancing cultural confidence, increasing HIT international influence."

Despite lacking ice and snow sport experience, Chan Cheungying said she felt proud of her team's good coordination during the race.

"Before the race, coaches from HIT gave us training on ice dragon boat, bringing us a comprehensive understanding of the sport that we have never participated in," said the 22-year-old student from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

"During the competition, we did our best to get the satisfactory results."

The "HIT-Cambridge-Oxford Cup" Ice Dragon Boat International Friendship Race, hosted by Harbin Institute of Technology, kicked off on Saturday morning in Harbin, Heilongjiang province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Chen Jie, Communist Party secretary of HIT and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, noted that the event has become an "ark" for promoting cultural exchange and understanding between young people from China and the UK.

"In traditional Chinese culture, the dragon boat symbolizes unity, progress, and excellence, which aligns closely with the British values of courage, courtesy, and responsibility," said Chen.

"The unique medium of ice dragon boats connects Cambridge and Oxford, with their rich history of rowing, to HIT, known for its century-long excellence in engineering."

责任编辑：杨晓