The "HIT-Cambridge-Oxford Cup" Ice Dragon Boat International Friendship Race, hosted by Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), began on Jan 10. Fourteen teams from the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, the C9 League universities, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), and the University of Macau (UM) participated in the event.
The opening ceremony. [Photo/hit.edu.cn]
Zhao Rongguo, deputy secretary-general of the Heilongjiang Provincial Government; Wang Bo, vice-mayor of Harbin; and Chen Jie, chair of the HIT Council, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches in person.
Yang Dan, director-general of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchange and Director of the Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan Affairs Office of the Ministry of Education, and Thomas Konietzko, president of the International Canoe Federation, delivered video speeches.
Yang Dan delivers a video speech. [Photo/hit.edu.cn]
Zhao Rongguo delivers a speech. [Photo/hit.edu.cn]
Wang Bo delivers a speech. [Photo/hit.edu.cn]
Thomas Konietzko delivers a video speech. [Photo/hit.edu.cn]
Tina Jiang, deputy director of Academic Partnerships in the Department of International Programmes and Partnerships at Oriel College of Oxford; Casimir d'Angelo, director of the Language Unit at Cambridge; and Deng Yaping, Cambridge University alumna, world table tennis champion, and Olympic champion, sent their congratulations via video.
Tina Jiang sends a video message. [Photo/hit.edu.cn]
Casimir d'Angelo sends a video message. [Photo/hit.edu.cn]
Deng Yaping sends a video message. [Photo/hit.edu.cn]
Chen Jie delivers a speech. [Photo/hit.edu.cn]
Na Boshi, a 2025 undergraduate student from HIT's School of Energy Science and Engineering, and Liu Song, a teacher from HIT's Department of Physical Education, took oaths on behalf of all athletes and referees, respectively.
Athlete Representative Na Boshi takes an oath. [Photo/hit.edu.cn]
Referee Representative Liu Song takes an oath. [Photo/hit.edu.cn]
Dragon eyes are added. [Photo/hit.edu.cn]
All participants pose for a group photo. [Photo/hit.edu.cn]
The host presides over the opening ceremony. [Photo/hit.edu.cn]
Following the ceremony, a series of cultural performances took place.
HIT's martial arts team gives a dragon and lion dance performance. [Photo/hit.edu.cn]
The event was broadcast live online via platforms such as China University Online, attracting over 800,000 views.
An ice dragon boat race is held. [Photo/hit.edu.cn]
In addition to participating in the ice dragon boat race, teachers and students from Oxford and Cambridge also visited the HIT Space Museum, HIT Museum, and other locations.
Teams from Nanjing University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Cambridge, and HIT won first prizes. Teams from Zhejiang University, the University of Science and Technology of China, Peking University, and Tsinghua University won second prizes. Teams from Xi'an Jiaotong University, Oxford, Fudan University, UM, HKUST, and CUHK won third prizes.
In addition to the ice dragon boat race, the China-UK Youth Cultural Exchange Week also featured a variety of international cultural exchange activities. In the coming days, events such as the China-UK University Youth Forum and the Northern Ice and Snow Folk Interactive Experience Workshop will be held at HIT.
Editor: Yang Wenyu