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HomeAchieversChina Trip Students Compete in First Dragon Boat Race, Grad Students Take...

China Trip Students Compete in First Dragon Boat Race, Grad Students Take Fifth Place Overall

Massey Graduate School of Business’ team placed fifth overall.

Two Belmont teams participated in the sixth annual Cumberland River Dragon Boat Race on Sept. 29.

Kun Peng Zhan Chi is comprised of students who went on a China study abroad trip and are studying China and the Chinese language. The team name translates to “the great Peng bird spreads it wings and flies;” the Peng bird is significant in Chinese tradition. The Massey Machine represented the Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business. Last year, The Massey Machine placed second in the race.

Kun Peng Zhan Chi finished the race with a time of 1 minute, 20.329 seconds, ahead of the Confucius Institute at MTSU. The Massey Machine cruised into the final rounds with an extremely fast time of 1 minute, 07.317 seconds. They ultimately finished in fifth place overall, just one second behind the fourth place team.

Participants raced in traditional Chinese dragon boats. Each boat is 46 feet long and holds 20 paddlers, one drummer and one person to control the steering paddle. The Cumberland River Dragon Boat Festival began in 2006 and is put on by the Cumberland River Compact in celebration of their advocacy work. The event lasts throughout the entire day with a number of different events all in celebration of Chinese culture.

For more information regarding the race and the festival, go to nashvilledragonboat.org.

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