Ahead of the Dragon Boat Festival, more than 230 students from leading Chinese universities — including Peking University, Tsinghua University, Nankai University, and Tianjin University — competed in a dragon boat race on the Haihe River in Tianjin's Nankai district on Sunday.
Organizers said the event was designed not only to celebrate the traditional festival, but also to promote exchanges among young talent from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and encourage the inheritance of traditional Chinese culture.
Held between Jintang Bridge and Shizilin Bridge, the race brought together university teams from across the region, combining a centuries-old folk tradition with youthful athletic competition.
"Dragon boat racing carries forward the spirit of unity and perseverance," Zhang Ziyang, captain of Nankai University's dragon boat team, said. "The spirit of 'one boat, one heart' remains at the core of the sport."
"Taking part in dragon boat sports helps us strike a balance between work and rest," He Zilong, a 2024-entry postgraduate and member of Peking University Dragon Boat Team, said. "Amid mounting study and work pressure in modern society, regular sports effectively ease mental strain and help us stay physically and mentally sound."
"This is my third tournament visit to Tianjin in this semester," He added. "Thanks to the integrated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration, we instantly bond with local student athletes here."
"It tears down geographic barriers to boost cultural-sports integration and talent exchange," Zhang said. "Teams compete on the water, while post-race dragon boat forums are held for in-depth discussions on sportsmanship and cultural inheritance."
More than a sports event, the race serves as a platform for young talent from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region to enhance communication and cooperation, as well as a meaningful way for young people to inherit and promote traditional Chinese culture, local authorities said.
Nankai district recently launched an implementation plan to build an all-for-one innovation zone and introduced policies aimed at attracting talent, including housing, education, medical, and entrepreneurship support.
More themed races of the 2026 Haihe Dragon Boat Series will be rolled out across various districts of Tianjin in the follow-up phase.
Xu Xinran, Liu Zhenyi, and Ma Qiran contributed to this story.
