端午至，粽飘香，龙舟竞渡韵悠长。5月24日，“粽情端午・感知中国”第十五届上海暨第三届长三角高校外国留学生龙舟赛在华东理工大学奉贤校区活力开赛。来自江浙沪皖地区33所高校的国际学生队伍，共792名留学生参赛，数千名观众到场观赛。
The Dragon Boat Festival approaches, filling the air with the fragrance of zongzi, while the rhythmic paddling of dragon boats echoes along the waterways. On May 24th, 15th Shanghai and 3rd Yangtze River Delta Universities Foreign Students Dragon Boat Race with the theme of "Love for Dragon Boat Festival · Perceiving China" ," kicked off at East China University of Science and Technology’s Fengxian campus. A total of 792 international students from 33 universities across Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, and Anhui competed, with thousands of spectators in attendance.
Dragon Boat Festival
在上海第二工业大学的留学生龙舟队伍里，19名队员分别来自伊朗、哈萨克斯坦、乌兹别克斯坦、蒙古、印度、厄立特里亚、孟加拉等国家，涵盖国际商务、公共关系学、信息管理与信息系统等多个专业。比赛当日，二工大留学生参赛队伍身着印有校徽、校名与端午元素的特色文化衫，在波光粼粼的赛道上整齐划桨，溅起阵阵水花。选手们用多元背景碰撞出独特的文化火花，大家在比赛中全力以赴，跟随鼓点，振臂划桨，势如破竹，向着终点进发，比赛成绩相较去年取得明显进步。虽然未晋级决赛，但队员们脸上始终洋溢着兴奋的笑容，来自孟加拉的Rahman说：“比赛的意义不在于胜负，而在于我们共同呐喊的口号、挥洒的汗水，更在于龙舟竞技教会我们团结协作的精神。”来自哈萨克斯坦的Tomris说：“我非常享受每一次和队友的训练，龙舟训练是一种可以让我释放压力的方式。”这份独特的体验，已然成为他们心中难忘的文化记忆。
Among the teams, Shanghai Polytechnic University’s dragon boat crew consisted of 19 international students hailing from Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, India, Eritrea, Bangladesh, and other countries. Their academic backgrounds spanned international business, public relations, information management, and more. On race day, the team donned custom-designed cultural T-shirts featuring their university logo, name, and Dragon Boat Festival motifs. As they rowed in unison across the shimmering water, their synchronized strokes sent sprays of water flying. The competitors, with their diverse cultural backgrounds, created a unique blend of traditions, fully committing themselves to the race. Moving to the beat of the drum, they pulled their oars with powerful determination, surging toward the finish line. Though they did not advance to the finals, their performance showed significant improvement over last year.
The students wore broad smiles throughout the event. Rahman from Bangladesh remarked, "The true meaning of the competition lies not in victory or defeat, but in the shared chants, the sweat we shed, and the teamwork that dragon boat racing teaches us." Tomris from Kazakhstan added, "I truly enjoyed every training session with my teammates. Rowing has become a way for me to relieve stress." This unique experience has already become an unforgettable cultural memory for them.
留学生不仅是知识的学习者，更是文化交流的使者。当他们带着这份浸润着东方智慧的独特体验回到故乡，赛场上的号子声、粽叶香，都将成为讲述中国故事最生动的注脚，这正是“感知中国”的精神内核。上海第二工业大学的留学生们正用青春与热情，在中外文化交流的长河中，划出属于他们的精彩航线。
International students are not just learners of knowledge but also ambassadors of cultural exchange. When they return home with this experience steeped in Eastern wisdom, the echoes of the race and the aroma of zongzi will serve as vivid footnotes in their retelling of China’s stories—this is the essence of "Experiencing China." The international students of Shanghai Polytechnic University are carving out their own remarkable path in the long river of cross-cultural exchange, fueled by their youth and passion.