Drums beating, paddles splashing, and dragon boats cutting through waves, the 11th China University Dragon Boat Championships and the 2nd Kunming Dianchi International Dragon Boat Racing took place from June 16th to 18th. Over 1,700 participants from 108 teams gathered in Kunming to compete in this thrilling dragon boat race on Dianchi Lake. In the end, the Dongguan Guanyi Dragon Boat Team won the championship in the open group, while the Kunming Hongzun Dragon Boat Team won the championship in the local and enterprise group.

Dragon boat racing is not only a traditional sport in China, but also an important symbol of Chinese culture. According to the "Yunnan Chronicle" during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, Kunming people often played dragon boat games during the Dragon Boat Festival. Kunming poet Zhu Fu vividly described this lively scene in his poem: "On both sides, people's voices are filled with laughter and joy, as the sound of drums and gongs fills the river during the lively dragon boat race." Kunming has a long tradition of hosting dragon boat races throughout its history, and this traditional custom has been revitalized with new vitality in recent time.

Kunming has successfully hosted dragon boat racing events, such as the China Dragon Boat Race and the 13th World Dragon Boat Racing Championships, since 2016. Since 2019, a self-created sports brand event, the Kunming Dianchi International Dragon Boat Racing, has been established. This year's event has attracted more people who love this sport to come to Kunming and experienced the charm of dragon boat racing. "China has always had a tradition of dragon boat racing, which is great," said Renyi, a member of the Russian Forward Dragon Boat Team. He and his teammates are not professional dragon boat athletes, but they love the atmosphere of this sport so much that they came together to participate in the competition in Kunming. "There are many friends participating in the dragon boat race, and the atmosphere of everyone working together is great. Once you come, you will definitely want to come back again," Renyi said with a smile.

In addition to the water-based competition, this year's event also introduced a new land-based dragon boat project and placed a dragon boat paddling experience pool in the spectator area. The world's first "water-land-pool trinity" dragon boat race has provided the participating athletes with a brand new experience. Tang Ruowen, a member of the Shanghai Polytechnic University Dragon Boat Team, shared her experience of participating in the land-based dragon boat for the first time. "The land-based dragon boat is particularly novel. I never thought that we could paddle a dragon boat on dry land," Tang explained that the land-based dragon boat is very different from the water-based dragon boat in terms of paddling techniques, power angles, and paddle placement, which is a very unique experience.

Regarding the promotion of the land-based dragon boat project, Zhang Zhaohong, vice president and chief referee of this year's event, expressed that many athletes participated in the land-based dragon boat race for the first time, and everyone was very happy to participate. Although it is very different from water-based dragon boat racing, many teams adjusted their power methods after the preliminary rounds and achieved good results. Zhang believed that the land-based dragon boat requires lower requirements for the racecourse and environment, which is more suitable for extensive promotion compared to water-based dragon boat racing. "I am very optimistic about the promotion of land-based dragon boat racing. I believe that in the future, there will be more places to conduct large-scale land-based dragon boat races," he said.

Kunming is close to Dianchi Lake in the south, surrounded on three sides by mountains, enjoying the ecological advantages of "half city mountains and water, half city lake", meaning that half of the city is surrounded by mountains and rivers, while the other half is covered by lakes." Dianchi Lake, as the venue for this event, is like a sparkling and shining "plateau pearl" with rippling waves, leaving a deep impression on the participating athletes. "Rowing on the lake, accompanied by the blue sky, white clouds, and high mountains, we really enjoyed the competition," said Guo Jingyuan, a member of the Peking University Dragon Boat Team. She never thought that she could compete in such a beautiful natural environment before, and the standardized competition and orderly procedures during the event also received praise from the team members.

"Being here feels like we're a little closer to the sky," said Zhong Zhen, a member of the Sun Yat-sen University Dragon Boat Team, excitedly sharing her experience of participating in the competition. Kunming's beautiful ecological environment, excellent air quality, and brilliant sunshine have all become unforgettable experiences for Zhong Zhen during the competition. She said she will come to Kunming in the future to experience the beauty of Kunming deeply. The international participants who came to Kunming for the competition for the first time also gave positive feedbacks on their initial impressions. Alex, a participant from Morocco, had never been to Kunming or participated in a dragon boat race before. He was amazed by the food, weather and natural environment. Ken, a participant from South Africa, expressed his amazement at participating in the race and hoped to come back to Kunming next year.

As one of the organizers and hosts of the event, Kunming has made every effort to provide the best service guarantee, create the best competition environment and viewing experience during the dragon boat race, making it a grand "festival" for participating athletes and tourists. Kunming will also use the dragon boat race as a platform to let more people learn about and fall in love with Kunming, understanding what is "aspirational life in Kunming".

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(Editors: Rachel, Amy)