On 17 September, the Chinese Embassy in Australia held an exchange session in Canberra for teacher and student representatives from four Australian universities, including the University of Melbourne and the University of New South Wales, who had taken part in the Sino-Australian Collegiate Rowing and Dragon Boat Friendship Challenge. Participants gathered with Chinese and international youth based in Canberra to share their vivid experiences of racing on the water in Nanjing and personally immersing themselves in Chinese culture. Ambassador Liu Jingsong engaged warmly and frequently with the attendees during the session. Key points from his remarks are as follows:

Ambassador Liu noted that he had presented his credentials to the Governor-General of Australia just the day before, making today’s exchange with young friends his first public-diplomacy activity since arriving in Australia, which speaks to the important role of youth in the bilateral relationship.

[Canberra Makes Way for Black Swans]

Ambassador Liu said that strolling along the shores of Lake Burley Griffin in central Canberra and looking out over its open, clear waters, his first thought was that this would be a perfect setting for a lively dragon boat race. Upon enquiry, however, he learned that the lake is under strict ecological protection, and that black swans and other wildlife are the “privileged residents” of these waters, making it extremely difficult to stage water sports event here. (Laughter from the room.)

He added that he had travelled to Canberra by plane and coach. The ancient Silk Road, he said, was marked as much by camel bells across desert dunes as by sailing ships dotting the open ocean. Australia, as a vital maritime extension of the Silk Road, enjoys a unique geographical position and abundant tourism resources; there is vast potential ahead for passenger and cargo shipping, especially cruise liners.

[The Origin of the Dragon Boat and the Zongzi and the Oriental Philosophy]

Ambassador Liu noted that many of the Australian students had their very first encounter with dragon boat racing in Nanjing. The sport traces its origins to the commemoration of Qu Yuan, a beloved patriotic poet and statesman from over two millennia ago. According to legend, after Qu Yuan drowned himself in a river in despair over his kingdom’s decline, local people, revering his character, raced out in boats beating drums to drive away fish and shrimp and protect his body. This practice gradually evolved into dragon boat racing. They also cast glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves into the river as an offering; thus the zongzi was born. The dragon boat and the zongzi—one embodying strength, the other tenderness—together carry the cultural core of the Chinese people: Honoring loyalty and righteousness, commemorating the sages of old.

Ambassador Liu observed that Chinese philosophy abounds with water-related wisdom: “Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it”, goes one saying. “The benevolent find joy in mountains, the wise find joy in water”, goes another. The mountain's steadfastness and weight, and water's flexibility and fluency, complement each other, forming the spiritual pursuit of the Chinese people. Water, Liu added, can nourish all things, yet it also holds within it the strength to overcome even the toughest challenges.

[Mateship Tested in Storm and Strife]

Ambassador Liu reflected that China and Australia fought a common enemy during the Second World War, which is a living embodiment of the Chinese idiom “tóng zhōu gòng jì” (We are all in the same boat) and the Australian ethos of “mateship”.

During the war, in 1942, when the Lisbon Maru sank, fishermen from Zhoushan, China, braved gunfire in small boats to rescue Allied personnel, including several Australians. In peacetime, in 2023 at Fairy Meadow Beach in Wollongong, New South Wales, Chinese student Jiang Antong sacrificed his life while rescuing an Australian classmate caught in a rip current; the Governor-General of Australia posthumously awarded him a Commendation for Brave Conduct. Recently, when a catastrophic mudslide struck the China-Nepal border area near Gyirong, Xizang, Chinese rescue teams launched immediate search-and-rescue operations, while Australians from all walks of life offered their condolences without delay, showcasing the mutual support between our peoples.

[In striving through adversity, “Growth Matters More Than Results”]

Ambassador Liu congratulated the Australian teams on their outstanding performance at the Nanjing International Universities Rowing Open, noting that the event embodied the spirit of “promoting exchange through competition and forging friendship on the water”. He echoed Chinese tennis player Zheng Qinwen’s sentiment that growth matters more than the scoreline, adding that Medals are certainly dazzling, but victory or defeat is not the essence of competition. The experience of striving together as a team and the friendships forged across the ocean are far more valuable than any trophy.

[Let’s Sway Twin Oars]

Ambassador Liu left the young people with this message: China-Australia friendship requires participation from all sectors and the strength of people of all ages. Each of you is both an envoy for that friendship and a sailor aboard the vessel of China-Australia relations. He encouraged them to “sway the oars together” on the tides of our times, with hearts and minds united in one direction and strength concentrated in one effort, without slacking off, without deviating from course, without retreating, breaking through waves and sailing steadily toward distant horizons.