大家来找茬：中国龙舟赛VS剑桥牛津赛艇对抗赛

端午节到了，除了吃粽子，你去看“赛龙舟”了吗？赛龙舟在中国南方和北方邻水地区十分流行，并随着中国人的脚步扩展到世界许多地方。英国的华人和留学生就将中国传统龙舟移到康河，上演“龙舟版”的牛津剑桥对抗赛。

The Dragon Boat Festival is around the corner. Besides eating Zongzi, seeing the dragon boat race is also a must-experience tradition. Dragon boat race is very popular in the southern and northern waterfront areas of China, and has spread to many parts of the world with the outbound footsteps of Chinese people. Chinese and overseas students in Britain have taken Chinese traditional dragon boats to the River Cam to stage a race, creating the Chinese version of the Oxford vs Cambridge Boat Race.

说到这儿，你是不是想起了拥有近200年历史的在泰晤士河上举行的牛津剑桥赛艇对抗赛？它与中国的龙舟赛又有哪些不同？

Talking about boat races, are you thinking of the Oxford vs Cambridge Boat Race, which has been held on the River Thames for nearly 200 years? Then how is it different from the dragon boat race in China?

先来看看二者的起源。

Let’s first get to know the origins of the two races.

关于龙舟，有这样的传说，战国时期贤臣屈原投江而死，许多人充满不舍，就争先恐后划龙舟去追赶拯救，又借划龙舟驱散水中之鱼，并扔粽子以免鱼吃掉屈原的身体。之后赛龙舟逐渐成为中国传统节日端午节的风俗之一。

As for dragon boat tradition, legend has it that Qu Yuan, a virtuous official during the Warring States Period (475 B.C.-221 B.C.), died by jumping into the river. Many people, out of admiration for him, raced to row dragon boats to try to catch up with and save Qu as well as dispersing fish in the water so that Qu Yuan’s body won’t be eaten. After that, dragon boat race gradually became one of the folk customs of the Dragon Boat Festival, a traditional Chinese festival that falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.

而赛艇运动起源于英国17世纪泰晤士河上船工们之间的业余比赛。1829年，英国牛津大学和剑桥大学在泰晤士河上举行了首次校际赛艇比赛，这被视为现代赛艇运动的起源。当时，一对好朋友——牛津学生查尔斯·沃兹沃斯（Charles Wordsworth）向剑桥学生查尔斯·梅里瓦勒（Charles Merivale）写下挑战书，在泰晤士河上进行八人艇挑战赛。后来每年三、四月之交的一个周末，都会举行这场瞩目的“学霸”赛艇对抗赛。

Rowing originated in England in the 17th century as an amateur race between boatmen on the River Thames. In 1829, the first inter-university boat race was held between Oxford and Cambridge universities on the River Thames, which is regarded as the origin of modern rowing. Charles Wordsworth, an Oxford student, challenged Charles Merivale, a Cambridge student, to race an eight-man boat on the River Thames. Now, the remarkable boat race between the two distinguished universities’ students is held on a weekend at the turn of March and April each year.

从外形来看，赛艇和龙舟都是细长的流线型，但龙舟把船头船尾装饰成龙的样子——这是中华民族的图腾。材质上，现在的赛艇融入了极强的科技感，甚至用上了航天材料；中国龙舟则强调传统，大部分选材还是优质木料，当然，竞速用的龙舟也用上了玻璃钢等复合材料。

In terms of shape, both boats are slender and streamlined, but the dragon boat’s bow and stern are decorated in the shape of Chinese dragon, a cultural totem of the Chinese nation. In terms of materials, the current rowing has incorporated much science and technology, even using aerospace materials. Chinese dragon boats put much value in tradition, with most of them still being made of high-quality wood. Dragon boats for speed racing, on the other hand, also use composite materials such as fiber reinforced plastics.

赛龙舟时鼓声隆隆，号子震天，热闹非凡。传统龙舟上的选手少则数十人、多则近百人。标准22人龙舟上的选手则包括20名桨手、1名鼓手、1名舵手。鼓手如同指挥官，统一划手划水节奏，也起到鼓舞士气的作用。

During the dragon boat race, the drums rumbled, and the trumpets were loud and lively. The traditional dragon boat race takes at least dozens of participants and can even involve about 100 people. The standard 22-person dragon boat consists of 20 paddlers, a drummer and a helmsman.Drummers, like commanders, direct the rowing rhythm of rowers while playing a role in boosting morale.

而赛艇则是相对安静的水上项目。赛艇分单人、双人、4人和8人，没有鼓手，但分有舵和无舵。天才物理学家霍金在牛津大学读书时，就曾是赛艇队的舵手。

Rowing is a relatively quiet water sport. Rowing is divided into single, double, four-player and eight-player races. Rowing, no matter in a boat with a rudder or not, has no drummer. Stephen William Hawking, a talented physicist, was the helmsman of the rowing team when he was a student at Oxford University.

都是“划船”，龙舟和赛艇划的方式到底有什么不一样？请你自己来找找不同吧？

The two races are all about boating, Come to find the difference by yourself!

赛艇是奥运会最传统的比赛项目之一。第一届雅典奥运会，赛艇就被列为正式比赛项目，但因天气恶劣而取消。1900年第二届巴黎奥运会，赛艇比赛正式举行。

Rowing is one of the most traditional events in the Olympic Games. In the first Athens Olympic Games, rowing was listed as an official event, but it was cancelled due to bad weather. In the second Paris Olympic Games in 1900, rowing competition was officially held.

龙舟作为中国传统体育项目，也因独特魅力而走向世界。世界龙舟锦标赛已在全球各国举办了14届，2021年在东京奥运会上龙舟首次成为奥运表演项目，向成为奥运正式项目迈出了坚实一步。

Dragon boat race, as a traditional Chinese sport, also makes itself known on the global stage thanks to its unique charm. The World Dragon Boat Championships have been held for 14 times in various countries around the world. In 2021, at the Tokyo Olympic Games, dragon boat race became an Olympic performance event for the first time, taking a solid step towards becoming an official Olympic event.

龙舟和赛艇都讲究平衡和节奏，也都体现了团结与进取。英国与中国都是拥有悠久历史的国家，赛艇和龙舟的演变都来自于生活和文化的传承。你听，号子已响起，一起赛龙舟！

Dragon boat race and rowing are both balanced and rhythmical, and both embody unity and enterprise. Britain and China are both countries with a long history. The evolution of rowing and dragon boat race comes from the inheritance of life and culture. Listen, the trumpet is on to invite you to join the dragon boat race!