Diversity and inclusion the theme of the day as crews battle it out in Hong Kong’s dragon boat races
- Stanley International Dragon Boat Championships sees big rise in number of mixed-gender teams taking part
Hongkongers took to the water across the city on Friday for the annual dragon boat races, with younger, more diverse crews very much in evidence in the various regattas.
The city’s main race, the Stanley International Dragon Boat Championships, took place in the harbour town on the south of Hong Kong Island, with teams lining out from 8am in scorching temperatures of 28 degrees Celsius.
The race is part of the Tuen Ng Festival, which takes place on the main beach on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, a public holiday in both Hong Kong and mainland China.
Jenny Cheung, 42, team captain and head of business development at the firm, said: “This year we noticed a lot of LGBT movement in Hong Kong. We saw the ruling yesterday. Plus this month is LGBT Pride Month, so we hope to use this opportunity to promote LGBT rights.”
It was the company’s first time in the race, with the idea of entering suggested by a number of younger employees, Cheung said.
Cheung herself first took part in the Stanley race as a paddler 10 years ago with another corporate team.
She said she is happy to see a big increase in the number of mixed-gender teams taking part, up 60 per cent on previous years.
But the festival was no holiday for Cheung, who brought a suitcase with her to the beach, having to catch a flight for a business trip right after the race.
Her team was out of luck, finishing fourth out of four in their first race, but Cheung was philosophical, saying all the crew members had tried their best.
Another paddler, Tony Gu, who has just graduated with a degree in law from the University of Hong Kong said the odds were very much stacked in favour of teams with youth on their side. “This game belongs to the youngsters, ultimately,” he said.
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Gu said he joined the team just for fun and expected the race to be no more than a relaxing break from his studies, but he found after the first few training sessions it was serious business and he found it difficult to commit to all the weekly sessions. He also discovered how physically demanding it was.
“I was only wearing beach shorts at my first training sessions, and after two hours my behind was all bruised,” he said. “And the skin on my hands was frayed from gripping the paddles.”
The dragon boat race is an international affair too, with the all-female team So French taking part, winning their heat on Friday morning.
“The core value of our dragon boat team is team spirit, passion and fun!” said Hélène Duche, who has captained the team for the last four years.
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So French is an open team that welcomes any French-speakers, including those with no previous experience. Although balancing the various levels of abilities can be a challenge, they believe the friendship is the most important thing.
The team’s local coach Fung Lee praised the crew, which is made up of engineers, teachers, bankers and housewives: “Their strength is the strong bond among the teammates, as the dragon boat race is all about teamwork and synchronisation.”
There was a minor disruption at the Tuen Mun dragon boat race, where Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was presenting the prizes. About 10 members of the opposition League of Social Democrats staged a protest, calling for the government’s controversial extradition bill to be withdrawn. They waved props in the shape of zongzi rice dumplings – a traditional Dragon Boat Festival snack – but were stopped by the police.
