Egypt hosted the 2019 Dragon Boat Festival theme event. The Chinese wind was blowing on the Nile.

On the occasion of the traditional Chinese festival "Dragon Boat Festival", the Egyptian capital Cairo staged a unique dragon boat theme event on June 8. The dragon boat tug-of-war competition on the Nile River was intense, and various Dragon Boat Festival cultural activities under the river palm trees were interesting. A large number of participants. The Chinese Dragon Boat Festival is entering the life of the Egyptians in a unique way.

As the main show of the day's series of activities, the dragon boat tug-of-war competition is more like a fun sports meeting. The teams came from Egypt, China and other fans in Cairo. According to the rules, each team consists of 7 players. The two sides of the team are divided into two sides of the dragon boat. The middle of the team is bounded by a rope. After the referee blows the whistle, the two teams start to struggle in their respective directions and pull the opponents. The side of the rope is the winner.

Jasmine is a female member of the Egyptian team. She joined the Egyptian Dragon Boat Team two years ago and went to Hong Kong in China last year to participate in the Dragon Boat Race. At the age of 39, she looks much younger than her actual age and is well-proportioned. She said she likes sports very much, especially team sports like the Dragon Boat Race. "I know that dragon boat is a very old sport in China. I like dragon boat racing because you are not alone on board, but a team. I am very happy."

Li Xinxin, the organizer of the event and founder of the Egyptian Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, said that in order to facilitate the Egyptians to better understand the Dragon Boat Festival and the dragon boat, they specially named the event "Dragon Boat Birthday Party". “The first time was in 2016, we brought the dragon boat to the Nile. So today’s event is like a party, there are birthday parties, games, quizzes, just to see their understanding of the Dragon Boat Festival. The dragon boat tug-of-war competition mainly hopes to promote our Chinese story in this place in Egypt."

Culture is the best medium for communication between civilizations. The "International Team" participating in the Dragon Boat Tug-of-war competition was composed of five foreigners working and living in Egypt, from the Netherlands, the United States, Canada, South Korea and Libya. It was the dragon boat that connected them and connected them to China. Together. The leader, Mr. Rothman, settled in Egypt in 1976 and has participated in the Nile Dragon Boat Race many times. He said that this dragon boat tug-of-war competition gave them a new experience.

The Chinese Embassy in Egypt and the Cairo Chinese Cultural Center also teamed up to participate in the competition. Shi Yuewen, the organizer of the event and director of the Cairo Chinese Cultural Center, said that it is a very meaningful thing to jointly hold a dragon boat tug-of-war competition on the Nile. With the help of the ancient Nile River in Egypt, not only the ancient Chinese traditional culture can be spread and promoted, but also attracts many participants from Egypt and other countries, which helps to promote mutual understanding and friendship between people of different countries.