Celebrating cultural diversity and community at the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York

For 29 years, the annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York has been a must-attend cultural event for the region. Transporting the Hong Kong tradition to New York City, this two-day event took place on August 3 and 4 in Flushing Meadows Park. It is the largest multicultural festival on the East Coast and brings together thousands of people for dragon boat races, food, and festivities.

The first day of the festival included an opening ceremony with a Dragon Dance and a progression of teams holding flags as they marched from the lake to the stage. In attendance were government representatives from both the US and Hong Kong. A ceremonial dotting of the eye on the dragon head of the dragon dancers marked the official start of the festival.

This year, more than 20 young and passionate exchange interns form the Cross Cultural Internship Program (CCIP) participated in the races and festivities. The CCIP participants all wore a t-shirt with a colorful design and a slogan that highlights the program's mission of advocating for teamwork and diversity: "We're all in the same boat."

Elizabeth Kay, the founder of CCIP and the President of FUSIA Communications, said, "It's inspiring to see the group take our motto to heart. The team sees this occasion as more than just a sports event. Despite cultural barriers, CCIP took to the water in the spirit of goodwill, friendly competition, and sportsmanship."

We overcome together, from beginners to winners

All CCIP exchange interns are students from elite universities in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Macau. Their backgrounds vary, though, especially in their fields of study, which include engineering, political science, law, business, and many others. This variety is showcased in the wide range of New York organizations the group is interning with this summer.

The program has two main sessions, with the first beginning in May and the second kicking off in mid-July. Participants of the Dragon Boat Festival all came from the second session. This added an additional challenge to the participants as they had little time to prepare for the race.

"Our practice time was very short. We had just two weeks, which was barely enough time for us to get to know each other," said Samco, one of the team captains and a student at the University of Macau. "Despite the time restrictions, though, everyone worked hard so we could make the best showing possible. That involved practicing as early as 7:15 in the morning on the weekends. It wasn’t easy, but I’m very impressed by the results we achieved with so little time."

Another team captain, Kenji, who studies at the City University of Hong Kong, echoed Samco’s sentiments.

"It was, indeed, a short time to prepare. It was also a lot of hard work. We were warned by previous participants of how difficult the races can be, and their insights were invaluable. I can say this with confidence, a lot of friendships were made in the process. There was some frustration at times, but we overcame it, together. It wouldn’t have been possible to complete a race like this without a supportive team with the same goal."

"I consider myself a fairly athletic person," said Carol who is pursuing a master’s in law at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. "But I was not prepared for how hard racing actually was. We had to row in rhythm and as a team. It ended up being pretty difficult, but I’m very proud that we made it!"

"I want to offer a special thanks to Good Jean and her peers at the Wall Street Lions Club Team," said Levinna, a University of Hong Kong student, originally from Indonesia, who was a drummer for this year’s team. "The majority of our team had no experience, and Good Jean volunteered to coach us. She gave us basic knowledge, such as how to hold the paddle and the right rhythm to play. She and Gary were great instructors and two of the most amazing people I’ve met in New York. We wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without them."

The story of the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York

Dragon Boat festivals are a vital part of Chinese culture and are celebrated all over the world. Wherever they're held, the festivals commemorate the famous Chinese scholar, Qu Yuan. In exile after being falsely accused of conspiracy, Qu Yuan drowned himself in the Miluo River. The people, who admired him for his great intellect, searched for his bodies in boats, establishing the foundation for the Dragon Boat festivals.

In New York, the festival is organized by the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York, Inc, a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization. The main sponsor of the event is the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office in New York.

"The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York is one of the largest multicultural and sporting events in the city," explained Henry Wen, president of the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York, Inc. "Over 2,000 athletes and 50,000 spectators attended our event last year. It is a unique event comprised of programs on water and land. The success of the festival shines a light on Hong Kong culture and draws people who otherwise would know very little about that culture."

More than just races

In addition to the dragon boat race team, many of the CCIP interns ran a booth at the festival. The group organizers came up with games to play with the children who were in attendance. It was an excellent opportunity for people from different cultural backgrounds to interact and get to know each other in a fun and festive environment.

The CCIP interns who oversaw the booth helped cheer on their racing compatriots while also entertaining festival guests. There were eight booth managers who played games and gave out goody bags with relevant literature and promotional items. Those items were donated by various festival hosts from across the community.

"The theme for our booth was, 'Giving to and Getting from NYC Communities,'" explained Emily. Emily is interning with FUSIA Communications, which organizes CCIP. She is also a student activity leader for the program and served a dual role at the festival as a booth manager and racing team manager.

"The whole festival was a great experience," added Leslie, who is studying at the University of Macau. "Interacting with people from all over the country was a lot of fun. Especially because I had the opportunity to share about my own culture to people who have never been to my country."

The internship experience in NYC

All participants from CCIP are here on a J-1 Intern visa. The J-1 visa program is an exchange visitor system with 14 different categories (one of which is internships). It is run by the US Department of State's Office of Private Sector Exchange.

The program provides students with an opportunity to obtain work-based experience through a short-term, structured, and guided internship. In addition to professional experience, CCIP also aims to expose participants to American culture through different activities, including concerts, Broadway shows, and meetings with political figures. The program participants will also volunteer locally in order to understand volunteerism’s importance as a central value in American communities.