Enter the dragon boat: Hong Kong rowers brave 12 hours in Taiwan waters for green fundraiser
The campaign seeks to raise money and awareness to clean up a polluted area, with paddlers hoping to conquer 70km from 4am to 4pm
A Hong Kong dragon boat team will row 12 hours in Taiwan waters to reach one of the island’s most polluted areas as part of an environmental campaign to raise money and support clean-up efforts.
The event, organised by rowing group Dragon Overtime, is aimed at raising NT$20 million (HK$5.3 million) and will take place on May 13.
About 35 people will take part in the campaign, according to the organiser, including 20 paddlers who will row 70km – from 4am to 4pm – from popular travel destination Kenting, a national park area in the southern tip of Taiwan, to Orchid Island on the southeastern coast.
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The distance is longer than the 62km stretch between Hong Kong and Macau.
Campaign leader Woo Tse-hong, 55, says he was inspired to launch the event two years ago when he visited Orchid Island with his wife for a holiday. The couple saw heinous amounts of plastic waste and other trash washed ashore from the Pacific Ocean.
The rubbish, according to Woo, come from all around, including Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.
Woo was later introduced to a local indigenous resident – Ah Wen – who was so committed to environmental work that he had sold his motorcycle rental business and devoted his time to a one-man effort to clean up his beloved isle and educate others.
