Each boat has 20 paddlers, one drummer, one steerer and one person designated to catch the flag at the finish line.

The Confucius Institute, an MSU research group in the College of Education focusing on teaching Chinese language, helped sponsor the event and raced one of the boats. Along with the Confucius Institute, a group of MSU professors also participated in the races.

An assistant professor in the College of Natural Science, Huanmin Zhang was one of 12 professors in the MSU professors boat. Zhang raced to support the Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council and the Confucius Institute.

“I am so happy to see this Chinese culture now being introduced into the Lansing area where I work, study and live,” Zhang said.

Physiology professor Bruce Uhal formed the MSU professors’ boat for the race because of his department’s involvement with the MMEAC, another sponsor of the event.

“A lot of our applicants for the graduate programs in physiology and other biomedical sciences are Chinese,” Uhal said.

Head of Operations at the Confucius Institute Ken Dirkin said spreading knowledge of the Chinese culture, whether in classrooms or on rivers, is one of the institute’s goals.

“Awareness is key, and we always say teaching language is the gateway to culture and understanding other cultures,” Dirkin said.

Dirkin said he hoped the activity would bring institute members together.

“We wanted to have team spirit and go at it and see what we could do,” Dirkin said. “I mean, we should be able to do this in our sleep, right?”