A regatta and dragon boat race were held in Wuhan on July 25, offering the opportunity for interaction among the world’s elite universities.

Athletes from 15 of the world’s top universities took part in the first session of the 2013 China Wuhan Magnificent East Lake International Universities Rowing Regatta, and the second session of the One City, Binary Stars friendly dragon boat race between Wuhan University and Huazhong University of Science and Technology was also held at the East Lake.

The University of Amsterdam won the men’s regatta while the University of Otago won the women’s event.

Though the weather in Wuhan was very hot, the athletes remained enthusiastic. Timo, a 25 year old team member from the University of Amsterdam, was very excited as July 25 was also his birthday.

The team of Xi’an Jiaotong University included a British student, Martin Graham, who has lived in China for 7 years and can speak very good Chinese. He spoke highly of the environment of the East Lake and was also impressed by the organization of the regatta.

Rowing is popular in many countries around the world, and is becoming increasingly popular in domestic colleges. Zhou Yaguang, a junior at the Fourth Military Medical University, said that both his school and Xi’an Jiaotong University have their own rowing teams, and the two universities hold a regatta every year.

Wuhan Sports University is also known for its successes in rowing, and Wang Jinyang, a freshman, said that rowing is a major at the university, and students can receive professional training on campus. In the friendly dragon boat race later, Huazhong University of Science and Technology won the men’s 800-meter competition, and Wuhan University won the 500-meter mixed competition.

In 2011, Wuhan University and Huazhong University of Science and Technology promised to hold the One City, Binary Stars friendly dragon boat race every year, and dragon boat racing is increasingly popular among college students.

The 2013 China Wuhan Magnificent East Lake International Universities Rowing Regatta and the One City, Binary Stars friendly dragon boat race also promoted cultural communication between Eastern and Western countries, bringing an international ambience to the East Lake.

Edited by Niva Whyman and Le Qin