Dragon Boat Race builds bridge across Straits (2)

Contestants participate in a dragon boat race to celebrate the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on June 3, in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province, on June 2. [Photo by Feng Yongbin/chinadaily.com.cn]

The sophomore from the male dragon boat team of students from Fuzhou University in Fujian said he had "made new friends and learned that teamwork is strength with my personal experience in the race".

He only started practicing dragon boat paddling a month ago, but is now pursuing it with great interest.

Since his childhood, he has watched dragon boat races with his parents on television and developed a fascination for the traditional folk custom.

He said that people from the mainland and Taiwan are one family and share the same traditions and culture of the Dragon Boat Festival.

"I'm having great fun, although it's a tiring sport," said Chen Chunyu, 20, a sophomore from the female dragon boat team of Huaqiao University in Fujian.

She is from Kaohsiung in Taiwan, where the local people are very enthusiastic about dragon boat racing. Her elder brother used to be a member of his university's dragon boat team, so this also inspired her to join this year's event.

In 2010, dragon boat racing debuted as an official Asian Games sport in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. A year later, it was added to China's list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage.