From village shores to world stage: Tengxian Dragon Boat Team's remarkable rise

The Tengxian Dragon Boat Team — a team of traditional culture lovers from Wuzhou, Guangxi, has gone from a grassroots group to world champions, turning distant dreams into reality with unyielding spirit.

Founded in 2021, the team's members come from various backgrounds, with an average age of 28 and the youngest being 20. They train at least four hours daily, testing their strength, endurance and teamwork through strict drills until every stroke becomes muscle memory.

Within a year, they won the Nanning Open. In 2023, they shined in domestic races, constantly breaking Guangxi's dragon boat records.

In 2024, they won six titles at the China-ASEAN International Dragon Boat Open, set a milestone at the China Dragon Boat Grand Prix, and earned medals at the 12th National Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities.

This year, they made history. They claimed Guangxi's first gold in dragon boating at the National Games and then two world titles at the 17th World Dragon Boat Championships in Germany, including China's first in the 2000-meter small boat event.

"Dragon boating represents unity and the spirit of striving. Our efforts help to pass on this culture," said Zheng Xiangyang, head of the Tengxian Dragon Boat Association.