School comes first.
Multiple cities in China have rescheduled their highly anticipated dragon boat races in order to provide upcoming gaokao takers a quiet environment to prepare for the biggest test of their lives.
This year, the national college entrance exam takes place from June 7 to 8, coinciding with the Dragon Boat Festival, which takes place from June 6 to 7.
According to The Paper, a number of cities in the PRC, including Guangzhou, Yueqing in Zhejiang and the cities of Chizhou and Anqing in Anhui province, have either decided to push back their cultural boat races or are considering it.
In Guizhou’s Qiannan Buyi and Miao autonomous prefecture, the head of the local sports bureau recently told The Paper that dragon boat races have been pushed back from June 5-7 to June 9-11, after the local government determined the races would have an impact on students’ preparation for the exam. An official from the sports bureau in Chizhou, Anhui also confirmed that races have been rescheduled to June 9-10 after receiving calls from concerned parents over the noise generated at these events.
On May 28, Vice Bureau Chief Hua Shanying of the Guangzhou Education Bureau also hinted at the possibility of rescheduling the city’s dragon boat races, telling reporters, “If some sections of the river are close to nearby schools, and there is a competition going on during the college entrance examination, the education department will consult with the relevant departments to try and shift the dragon boat race to an earlier or later date, so it will not affect the examination.”
As of press time, there have been no announcements about whether dragon boat races in Guangzhou have been rescheduled.
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[Cover image via Unsplash]
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