Rowing to the same beat, a world away

That next chapter is already taking shape, with 138 sister-school partnerships established between Hangzhou and US schools, creating opportunities for young people on both sides of the Pacific to learn from one another.

For students from Josiah Quincy Upper School, the May trip to Hangzhou did not end when they returned home. Chang said he had reached a verbal agreement with his counterparts in Hangzhou to send another delegation next spring.

2029 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the US, and the Boston Dragon Boat Festival will also mark its 50th anniversary.

"I want to see that," Swartz said. "I just want to see the 50th anniversary of the dragon boat festival because it was the first in the US."

For Swartz, the anniversary offers a chance to look back at how far the tradition has traveled — from Hangzhou to Boston, and from one generation to the next. On the Charles River, where the first dragon boat festival in the US began, a new generation may be ready to take up the paddles.

Dong Hao in Boston contributed to this story.