New perspectives

Before joining the team in 2017, Liu was not the sporty type.

"I never ever thought about working out at a fitness center, but to prepare for each boat race, I was asked to jog and do muscle-building exercises, accompanied by my teammates, at least three times a week," she says.

Liu Yujie, 26, Nankai University's dragon boat team leader, found that apart from getting fitter and stronger he also began to understand the "never-give-up" philosophy.

"I was exhausted during training, "he recalls, "but we all found extra reserves of energy; we kept on pushing ourselves."

The doctoral candidate in microbiology has also used the lessons he learned on the water in the laboratory.

"I become more decisive when starting a new experiment mainly because my experience in dragon boating has boosted my confidence, "he says.

Unlike basketball, soccer and other popular campus sports, dragon boating uses a particular set of muscles and loads of determination. Your greatest opponent is often your own limitations, Liu Yujie says. Moreover, dragon boating requires the concerted efforts of the whole team, rather than individual skill.

"Due to this, a united team, no matter with newcomers or not, could probably get a good performance after some training," he says.