FRANKFURT, May 25 (Xinhua) -- On a crisp May morning, the banks along the stretch of the Main River in the center of Frankfurt were teeming with people eager to enjoy a feast involving dragon boats.
The 2nd Frankfurt Dragonboat Festival kicked off on Saturday morning. A total of 17 international dragon boat teams were competing on the Main River for a trophy, and more importantly for fun.
The sports of regatta are highly popular here in the city of Frankfurt where dragon boat races have taken place for over 10 times, Huang Yiyang, China's Consul General in Frankfurt told Xinhua.
What is more impressive this year is the event's inclusiveness, which drew over 500 paddlers from countries including China, Germany, France, the United States Thailand, while a wide range of Asian cultural events were held on its sidelines.
The race, according to Huang, was dedicated to the promotion of cultural exchange between Chinese and German people. The vision is now shared and joined by more countries.
The general consulates of Thailand, Indonesia and Cambodia strongly supported the event this year, turning the festival into an Asian culture show.
Artists from Thailand, Indonesia and Cambodia performed muay thai and dances, echoing their Chinese peers who played folk music and performed the Battle drum of the Yang family and dances on stages set up among the food stands along the river.
It is an honor to be invited to join the festival, said Nattapong Lathapipat, consul-general of Thailand in Frankfurt in a speech. The involvement of Thailand will send its commitment to "fostering our unity and friendship and mutual understanding among other countries participating in the event."
Thomas Macholl, first chairman of the Frankfurt Canoe Club 1913 e.V. told Xinhua that the Chinese festival element of the dragon boat race is appealing to him in particular.
Paddlers from different teams are in a fighting mode when they compete against one another in a boat next to another and become friends after the race and it is "like a big family," Macholl elaborated.
"From a sportive approach, there are a lot of fun teams there, and they should have fun. And that's the major part of it, right?"
Jon Dyer, coach of Joy Boat team from the United States was impressed by the "infectious" spirit at the festival which is "just the kind of thing we want to participate in."
Maria Rhoades, coach of the Donau Loong, said that her team has participated in the Frankfurt Dragon Boat Festival for the second time. The experience has not only brought them the joy of hard work and competition, but also deepened their appreciation of how sports can serve as a powerful bridge for cultural exchange.
"I like that all the sports partners talk together, have fun and enjoy the day," she said.
Guo is paddler on the Chinese team and works at a logistics company which has business presences in Germany, Belgium, France and Spain.
Guo said that his colleagues from other European countries joined the dragon boat race, which serves as a great opportunity for the company to foster team spirit and for the colleagues to have a taste of traditional Chinese culture.
