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SPHERE
#42
2017
23
“It was tough rowing in the
daytime when the scorching sun
was above us. But the stars at
night-time were just breathtaking.
I have never seen so many stars
in my life.”
James Xu Yuxuan,
Hannah
rower
Institute of Technology. The Hebrew name
means favour and grace – two things very
welcome on the open ocean. The women
rowed in
Jasmine
– a Chinese flower
suggesting purity, abundance, dignity
and persistence – the latter a must-have
on the long journey, and part of the
university’s motto.
The R45 boats were custom-designed
and built by Rannoch Adventure for this
expedition and will stay at the university.
The students were on them for eight days
in total. Rowers would eat and sleep on the
boat, alternating between two resting and
two rowing in four-hour shifts.
Seasickness was a real companion on the
trip. The students would “puke and row”
– it was all part of the training! Sometimes
students would be completely wiped out
by the conditions and others would have
to pick up where they could. Student
Yoyo Wang remembers, “I rowed for eight
hours consecutively against rough waters
when my teammates were down. But
I made it through because I knew my
team was behind me. I believe this
experience will lead us to go further and
beyond the horizon.”
Times were tough on the open seas – but
not without quiet moments of reward.
James Xu Yuxuan, a member of
Hannah
for
the second half of the journey, recalls, “It
was tough rowing in the daytime when the
scorching sun was above us. But the stars
at night-time were just breathtaking. I have
never seen so many stars in my life.”
AN INSPIRATION FROM CHINA
TO HONG KONG
The Li Ka Shing Foundation (LKSF)
supported the venture and Mr Li followed
the journey by satellite. Indeed, many Hong
Kongers were interested and took inspiration.
Many came from families that made a similar
journey, if less well trained, to establish
themselves in Hong Kong in the 1940s,
1950s and 1960s. Mr Li himself remembers
his family travelling the more than 1,000km
from Chaozhou (next to Shantou) to Hong
Kong when he was only 11 years old.
While many of those people made the
journey out of necessity, this expedition
saw young people take on a completely
novel challenge and push themselves to
their limits. Mr Li supported this venture,
and continues to support the university,
as part of a longer-term goal of changing
It isn’t all blood, sweat and tears. There are rare moments of beauty.
