Students from 12 universities competed in a dragon boat race in Tianjin's Nankai district on Sunday to celebrate the upcoming traditional Dragon Boat Festival. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"It tears down geographic barriers to boost cultural-sports integration and talent exchange," Zhang said. "Teams compete on the water, while post-race dragon boat forums are held for in-depth discussions on sportsmanship and cultural inheritance."

More than a sports event, the race serves as a platform for young talent from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region to enhance communication and cooperation, as well as a meaningful way for young people to inherit and promote traditional Chinese culture, local authorities said.

Students from 12 universities competed in a dragon boat race in Tianjin's Nankai district on Sunday to celebrate the upcoming traditional Dragon Boat Festival. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Nankai district recently launched an implementation plan to build an all-for-one innovation zone and introduced policies aimed at attracting talent, including housing, education, medical, and entrepreneurship support.

More themed races of the 2026 Haihe Dragon Boat Series will be rolled out across various districts of Tianjin in the follow-up phase.