On October 2nd, the 2026 Chengdu Rowing Open concluded successfully in Xinjin. Over the two days, oars flashed and boats raced across the Nanhe River, with about 270 rowers from 37 teams around the world competing on the waves. On the water, they battled for speed and strength; off it, they headed to the riverbank and walked into a 700-meter old street, where they spent half a day savoring in the daily vibe of Chinese romance.

 

Foreign students visiting Taiping Old Street

 

On the afternoon of October 2nd, Taiping Old Street welcomed a group of foreign visitors. Scott, a foreign student, stopped at a handmade stall, bought a yellow crystal bracelet, put it on right away, and held up his wrist to admire it again and again, unable to put it down.

 

At Taiping Juchang (a Café & Handcrafts Shop), a velvet flower studio, and a sugar painting stall, Chinese and foreign students explored traditional Chinese culture together, their laughter and gasps of wonder mingling in the air.

 

As night drew in, the Huangzhou Guild Hall was already packed. Chinese tourists and foreign students sat shoulder to shoulder, immersed together in the shifting light and shadow of shadow puppetry, the lightning-fast changes of Sichuan opera face-changing, and the soft murmur of folk songs. Two hundred years ago, this guild hall was a place where migrant merchants gathered to share news of home; two hundred years later, it has become a place where Chinese and foreign friends chat over tea.

 

Foreign students watch Sichuan opera face-changing at the Huangzhou Guild Hall

 

Wen Ziyan and Zheng Enyu, first-year high school students at Xinjin Foreign Languages School, also sat among them, chatting with the foreign students like old friends. They said they felt proud to see the foreign students captivated by the charm of intangible cultural heritage such as cold porcelain handicrafts.

 

The sound of oars fades, and the lights grow warm. This autumn, the Nanhe River remembers the surge of boats racing across the water, while Taiping Old Street remembers a meeting that spanned mountains and seas.

 

Edited by Zhang Yuanlin

Source: CRI Online