Dragon boat race at sea, the first China-Philippines friendship dragon boat race held in Manila!

On July 31, 2022, supported by the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines, the Philippine Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, the Manila City Government, the Philippine National Park Development Committee, the Philippine Coast Guard and other departments, the first China-Philippines Friendship Dragon Boat Race hosted by the Philippine Dragon Boat Association was held in White Beach, Manila. On the day of the event, more than 5,000 people including Chinese and Philippine dragon boat enthusiasts and guests from relevant Philippine departments participated in the event. Ambassador Huang Xilian, Director of Manila Bay Administration of the Philippine Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Jacob Manban, and Vice Chairman of the Philippine Dragon Boat Association Marcia Crisb attended the dragon boat race and delivered speeches.

In his speech, Ambassador Huang Xilian introduced the historical origin and cultural background of dragon boat racing, saying that as a cultural and sports activity with a long history, dragon boat racing, like eating zongzi and hanging wormwood, is an important folk custom of the traditional Chinese festival Dragon Boat Festival, flowing in the spiritual blood of every Chinese son and daughter. As a national intangible cultural heritage of China, dragon boat racing contains the historical connotation of avoiding plague health care and remembering the sages, and embodies the sports spirit of unity and mutual assistance and striving for the first place. Since the 2070s, dragon boats have gradually developed into modern competitive sports, blooming all over the world. The dragon boat tradition is rooted in ancient China. The dragon boat movement belongs to the contemporary world. The story of dragon boat culture must be written by everyone.

Ambassador Huang pointed out that China and the Philippines are close neighbors for the millennium. Looking back on history, the people of the two countries set sail and go boating to each other, outlining the friendly routes between China and the Philippines for generations. As an important part of the Philippine country and society, the Chinese and overseas Chinese who came from the waves have made important contributions to the independence and national construction of the Philippines. This is also a true portrayal of the mutual understanding of the people of China and the Philippines. No matter in the past or in the future, we are all good neighbors, relatives and partners. Standing at the forefront of the era of win-win cooperation, we should use sports events as the medium, human and cultural exchanges as the medium, help each other in the same boat, and work together to write a bright future for China-Philippines relations.

Manila Bay in July is sparkling and the water and sky are the same. The white sand beach is full of people and lively. Before the start of the competition, the lion dance team composed of local Filipinos cheered for the participating teams. The two Swiss lions are mighty and full of energy, stepping on the festive sound of gongs and drums, looking up, looking back, shaking their heads and tails, leaping and flying, showing this traditional Chinese folk custom. The beauty of peace, joy and high spirits attracted bursts of admiration from the people present. Ambassador Huang and other guests worked on the lion dance and communicated with the contestants, encouraging them to take the lead and win the championship bravely, and to be the promoter of the dragon boat spirit and the disseminator of the dragon boat culture.

This competition attracted hundreds of dragon boat athletes from more than 20 participating teams to fight for the waves and compete for the blue waves in 5 competitions, including the China-Philippines Dragon Boat Exhibition. On the blue sea, the helmsman and oarsman cooperated tacitly, fully displayed their superb racing skills, showing the spirit of unity and striving for the first, and stirred up the gorgeous waves. The audience on the shore shouted passionately, applauded and cheered, a lively scene.

In addition to the fierce dragon boat competition, cultural sections were carefully set up at the event site, including a photo exhibition of Sino-Philippine cooperation results, a beautiful China picture video exhibition, a Sino-Philippine food experience, dragon and lion dance performances, etc., to make sports events heavy and cultural The display is more dynamic. The photos on the screen provide an in-depth review of the wonderful moments of high-level exchanges between China and the Philippines, as well as cooperation in various fields such as economy and trade, anti-epidemic and disaster relief. The videos fully show the beautiful scenery and beautiful landscape of beautiful China, which is quite popular and fascinating. The Filipino people present were enthusiastic, stopped to watch and indulge in the rich and colorful cultural activities, and constantly felt the fruitful results of Sino-Philippine cooperation, the profound heritage of Chinese culture and the unique charm of beautiful China.

Counselor Li Wei and Counselor Xiong Sheng of the Embassy in the Philippines attended the relevant activities.