(Source: China Daily)
Tianjin's Dragon Boat races thrill city at Mid-Autumn Festival
By Bruce Connolly | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2019-09-17 13:48
A steady drum beat reverberated off waterfront buildings and multiple colorful light beams illuminated normally tranquil waters while musical performances from a temporary stage adjacent to the river enhanced the festive atmosphere.
Tianjin was celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival, which this year incorporated a three-day international Dragon Boat race. It felt like an incredible time to be in the city. The beats were emitted from circular wooden drums mounted near the front, or bow, of long, low draught, racing boats. Such drums were beaten with earnest passion aimed to edge and encourage each crew to go to the limit!
That evening event on the banks of the Haihe River between the Baoding and Daguangming Bridges was attended by senior representatives from the office of the Mayor of Tianjin, various civil dignitaries, leaders of both domestic and international business communities, plus large crowds of local citizens gathering along the embankments and on the bridges. The gala show marked the mid-way point of this prestigious occasion. To me it was all surely helping mark Tianjin's growth and emergence as a leading city in northern China.
Unlike much of South and Central China, Tianjin is one of the few northerly conurbations to have a navigable river run right through its core. The Haihe creates an attractive environmental corridor that is indeed both a major asset and attraction for the city. Its banks today are traffic-free; it is a linear strip where people gather for community exercise, dancing, impromptu musical performances, fishing and now in September 2019, to watch spectacular Dragon Boat races. This event attracted competitive teams not just from across China but also included several Asian and European nations.
The Haihe differs from most other rivers in that today it is more of a man-made channel, cutting across swathes of alluvium deposits when the Yellow River formerly entered the Bohai Gulf near today's Tianjin. Historic Tianjin in earlier times was a walled city forming a strategic staging point on the ancient Grand Canal. That principal waterway came up from Hangzhou in the agriculturally rich lower Yangtze Basin. A branch connected north to Tongzhou from where lesser waterways led into the heart of then-Imperial Beijing. The Haihe (or Sea River) linked Tianjin's canal basins and facilities directly to the sea, the Bohai Gulf at Tanggu. Today this is part of Binhai district that includes the vast, deep water Tianjin Port, a strategic point within China's Belt and Road Initiative that includes both maritime and land communication infrastructure. Interestingly, the recent event at Tianjin was named, '2019 The Belt and Road Haihe River International Dragon Boat Racing'.
Before the coming of the railways and more recently, expressways and aviation, the Haihe was a busy channel crowded with barges or small ships transferring cargoes and people between the canal and larger ocean-going vessels. However, by the later 20th century, river traffic was in steep decline with many small industries and warehouses that once stretched along its embankments lying abandoned. Even in 2004 I could feel a sense of neglect. Today, all that is changed. Any visitor coming to Tianjin would surely be impressed by the restoration work, clearing away any abandonment while creating beautifully landscaped banks, a series of excellent bridges complimenting the beautifully restored and still operating historic Jiefang Bridge that remains today a city icon. Modern buildings, including top-range international hotels and apartments, now look over the river alongside classical architectural reminders from the days when Tianjin was home to several European concession zones.
It was close to where the Dragon Boat races were held on the Haihe that a well-loved son of Tianjin, Eric Liddle, still fondly remembered, was born on Jan 16, 1902 to Scottish parents. Liddle, famed as a 1924 Olympic Gold Medalist runner, did much to encourage the growth of a sports culture in Tianjin, including helping with the development of the original Minyuan Stadium within the city's present Wudadao area. I thought of Liddle as I heard Tianjiners loudly shout "Jia you," a Chinese expression used at sporting events to encourage competitors, in this case particularly those from Tianjin, to go faster, to strive to win. At times, the Cantonese variant, "Ga yau" was heard, for there were also teams from Hong Kong and Macau.
Tianjin, partly thanks to presence of the Haihe, has retained an historic tradition of Dragon Boat racing going back 31 years to 1988. The sport is regarded justifiably as part of China's intrinsic cultural heritage. The city has become a center for it in northern China. Through the long-established Tianjin Dragon Boat Association, over 200 teams and more than 3,000 athletes have been successfully trained. This major event during the Mid-Autumn Festival came about through close cooperation between the Dragon Boat Association and the city's Cultural and Tourism Bureau, along with its Sports Bureau.
With over 30 crews participating this year and about 460 athletes involved, there was a genuine feeling of international friendship and camaraderie between them and of course, the ever- enthusiastic spectators. One group is the Tianjin International Charity Team (TICT), which I have been proudly associated with particularly as a photographer and through mutual friendship. The team was organized in collaboration between the Tianjin Dragon Boat Association and the city's Shangri-La Hotel. It included 26 paddlers from over 18 countries, who are associated with the city in various ways. Each participant paid 600 yuan for a place on the team's boat, with the proceeds donated to a charity, Cathay Future Foundation, the 'Healing Young Hearts Program' supporting children, along with their families, receiving cancer treatment at Tianjin University Hospital. The team's colorful red and yellow shirt incorporated the flags of all the paddlers within the team, including China, and initials BTAC (Beijing Tianjin Adventure Club). They raised over 15,000 yuan through this event for the charity.
When I arrived in Tianjin several days before the official start on Friday, a full-scale Dragon Boat sat on display within the Shangri-La's main lobby, with including program details of the event. A short walk led down from the hotel to the Baoding Bridge and the riverbanks, where I spent an afternoon documenting preparations, such as hospitality stands for spectators and team booths being set up. Gantries of colored lights were assembled alongside temporary stages and landing jetties floating on the waters. Gathered almost below Daguangming Bridge several boats that would carry competitive teams were prepared and berthed, offering a great opportunity for pre-event photography.
On Thursday morning, everything started to take on a more earnest feel, for training sessions would take place. The TICT team was scheduled to commence their practices at 7am. Amazingly I found walking along the Haihe banks at 6:30 am a fascinating experience, for many locals were already out fishing or exercising. Certainly their presence would create fascinating contrasts with the teams going through their pre-race drills. All morning I was scouting around the riverbanks and on the bridges trying to find the top locations for great action photography. Meanwhile many locals, heading to work, were looking intensely at me. They were pondering what I was doing staring across the river with my camera so early in the morning! Later I would watch the intensity with which some Polish athletes, calling themselves 'The Dragons of the North', went through exercise drills before taking to the water. They, along with all teams, were serious competitors for the real action would take place next morning.
Unseasonably, Friday started grey and damp but soon dried up to create ideal conditions for fast racing. I made my way down to the riverbanks, sitting first in a tent where I could have a coffee while watching the activities. Soon I headed nearer Baoding Bridge, where floating marker buoys indicated the finishing line for each heat. Sure enough, this was great for photography while listening to the frantic calls of the drummers urging their crews to work harder while banging the drums in frantic tones to increase their energy. Much shouting and cheering would follow as they made it over the line; winner or loser, all participants took it in excellent spirit for simply the joy of competing was enough! Naturally, between taking more images, I would stop briefly to cheer on the boats that were passing in front of my lens. What really gripped me were the scenes of them dipping low in the water as the crews paddled frantically and in that disciplined unison so essential for the smooth progress of the boat. Teamwork is always important for ultimate success.
That evening, a totally different scene emerged. Changing from my normal outdoor gear for photography I was in more formal attire to join invited guests for a commanding view from the Astor pontoon across to the music and light pageantry accompanying that night's race events. Thankfully I still had my camera with me, being able to capture some dramatic shots of the Dragon Boats racing frantically across the increasingly turbulent waters churned up by boats being pushed determinedly towards the finishing line. As I eventually walked back across Baoding Bridge towards my hotel I looked across the river from this vantage point while thinking of what a great asset the Haihe has become for Tianjin today.
On Saturday morning the sun shone and skies were blue as teams and spectators headed towards the river competition areas. It felt much more relaxing although the challenge was a 500- meter dash compared to the previous 200 meters. It was great fun, thankfully with such excellent weather for the finale and prize presentation.
Although the Dragon Boat Race was a competitive event it took place under very harmonious conditions with all teams respecting the results of each heat. This could be seen at the final ceremony where the winners from both the Philippines and Tianjin received equal rapturous and justifiably loud applause.
The Dragon Boat race, a long-held, traditional event both in China and in other parts of Asia, made it a lovely moment to be in Tianjin. It brought together many people from a host of different backgrounds, some who had come to China especially to compete in the races.
I particularly enjoyed the entire weekend while absorbing the competitive spirit and determination of all involved. It proved also an excellent opportunity for Tianjin to show more of its contemporary face to the world.
