Malaysia embraces dragon boat racing

Sport drawing more interest for its health and team-building benefits

Editor's note: China Daily continues its reports from neighboring countries in order to provide insight into topics relevant to China. In the second installment of our four-part series, we report on the rising popularity of dragon boat racing in Malaysia.

The spectacle of drums beating, boats racing and water splashing before an excited audience is no longer a novelty at Putrajaya's Marina Water Sports Center.

As a recent visit to the center showed, an increasing number of Malaysians are trying their hand at paddling a dragon boat.

Dragon boat racing, which originated in China more than 2,000 years ago, is actually emerging as the largest water sport in Malaysia, said Herman Chin, founder and president of the Malaysia Dragon Boat Association.

The organization, established in 2009 and made up of a group of enthusiasts, governs dragon boat activities, manages training and promotes the sport in the country.

It also hosts the annual Malaysia International Dragon Boat Festival and the Asia Club Crews Championship, which is held every other year.

"The dragon boat participants do not compete for prizes or titles. They do it for pleasure," Chin said. "They travel around the world, experience different cultures and bond through the sport. It is always like a carnival."

The 2014 Malaysia International Dragon Boat Festival will be held from May 30 to June 1 in Putrajaya, the country's administrative capital located 25 km south of Kuala Lumpur, and in Malacca.

"The event will not only benefit the economy and reflect a culturally united country, it also will further amplify Malaysia's global presence in business, sports and culture," said Vin Wee, organizing chairman of this year's festival.

"It will turn Malaysia into an international sports tourism destination and a hub of dragon boat races in Asia," he said.

The festival this year is expected to attract 2,500 participants from 25 countries and 50,000 spectators from home and abroad.

Baharom Bin Majid, CEO of the River and Coastal Development Corp in Malacca, said Malacca's 4.9-km-long river course and rich Chinese heritage make it a perfect place to host the event.

"In Malacca, the local Chinese community has always celebrated the tradition of dragon boating, but in recent years, other ethnic groups have also participated with great passion," he said, adding that he is an oarsman himself.

"The sport is recognized for strength, endurance and team spirit. Even Prince William and his wife, Kate, are among the most avid fans of dragon boat racing," Vin said.

Cancer survivors

In 2010, the Asian Games - held that year in Guangzhou, Guangdong province - officially included dragon boat racing as a competitive event for the first time. Last year, the sport was also staged at the Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar, but the name was changed to "long boat".

"I was the first one to oppose the name change because the name 'dragon boat' has cultural and historic implications for the practitioners of the sport," Chin said.

Over the past 15 years, dragon boat racing has become very popular among teams of breast cancer survivors, who participate in the sport for its physical and psychological benefits.

Since the first festival in 2009, Chin has been committed to publicizing the therapeutic effects of this sport for cancer patients. In an aim to coordinate efforts to fight the disease, he created a sub-category of the festival called the Cancer Survivor Championship, which is held every two years.

"The repetitive and intense upper body workout has proven physical benefits. Paddling together with a team of survivors bestows the full range of psychological benefits and has been shown to be an invaluable part of the recovery process," Chin said.

More than 2 million breast cancer survivors from 20 countries have joined in the sport so far, he added.

Wong Mee Yee, 59, founded Kuala Lumpur's breast cancer dragon boat team - Pink Challengers - in 2005. Wong was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002 and finished her treatment in 2004, a time, she said, that was so depressing it looked "like the end of the world".

"It was then at a dragon boat festival in Penang that I came to know this sport," Wong said. "I was so inspired to witness a team of rowers in their 60s working hard and cheering after they completed the race. If they could do it, so could I."

Wong called on 14 cancer survivors to build the team. They practice twice a week and travel around the world to participate in dragon boat festivals.

"The cancer recovery period can be excruciating. Paddling on a dragon boat helps exercise our entire bodies, which were stiff and vulnerable as a result of the therapy," Wong said.

"Also, it is about the joy of rowing, making friends and staying positive," she said. "The sport has taught me one thing: Never let cancer stop you from living life to the fullest."

Chin said the 2009 festival raised more than $100,000 for cancer survivors, adding that the combination of the sport and charity has enhanced public awareness of the disease and the need for a healthy lifestyle.

Noble origins

According to Chinese legend, dragon boat racing commemorates Qu Yuan, an upright but exiled official in the southern state of Chu during the Warring States period (475-221 BC).

Qu drowned himself in the Miluo River upon hearing the news of an invasion by a neighboring state. When he died, people drove fishing boats to the middle of the river, beat drums and splashed the water with their paddles in order to keep evil spirits from his body.

The event was later commemorated and developed into the annual dragon boat festival, which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar.

Over the past 30 years, the sport of dragon boat racing with regularized rules and equipment has spread rapidly beyond the borders of China, especially in Southeast Asia. The Chinese Dragon Boat Association said that more than 50 million people in 50 countries and regions regularly participate in the sport.

The dragon-shaped boats are decorated with ferocious-looking heads, scaly bodies and elaborate tails that rise out of the water. They are 12 meters long and about a meter wide, and can hold 22 people.

"Strong and experienced oarsmen power a competitive boat. The crew also includes a captain, a steersman and a drummer," Chin said, adding that the organization is also in charge of forming and training the Malaysian dragon boat national team.

Chin said dragon boat racing has also been adopted as a form of corporate team building."It helps office workers to reduce stress, improve self-esteem and improve body image and confidence," he said.

"I didn't think I would be able to do it, but the coach said I had the best technique and then my team won," said Maggie Ross, a participant from a Hong Kong consulting firm. "I learned not to limit myself or to be intimidated by the size and strength of others."

puzhendong@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 02/13/2014 page10)