For the first time in the 170-year history of Britain’s premier rowing event, Henley Royal Regatta, which starts today, crews from China are competing.

The rowers, from Sichuan province, arrived at the start of June and have already tasted success at the Marlow Regatta ten days ago, when Yuan Wenjie and Zhang Shunying came first and second in the men’s single scull and won the double sculls together. They could face Matt Wells and Stephen Rowbotham, who won a bronze for Great Britain in last year’s Olympics, in the quarter-finals of the double sculls.

“I’ve been explaining to them the important details of etiquette, such as remembering to wear a tie and blazer in the stewards’ pavilion,” said Mitchell Rosenlund, the head coach of the Loughborough University Boat Club, who brought them to England.

“The delight in their eyes as they walk by the Thames is wonderful. Everything is new to them.”

Mike Sweeney, the regatta chairman, said that the Chinese arrival was the most exotic entry at Henley since a South American touring group that featured Argentinians, Brazilians and Chileans in the 1990s. He added that he was just as excited by the first entry of a crew from Italy since 1989.

It is hard to say who was more surprised: the spectators by the Thames yesterday who saw a boatload of Chinese athletes go paddling by in practice for today’s start of the Henley Royal Regatta, or the Chinese rowers themselves on encountering the arcane traditions of this typically English event.

The Sichuan rowing association contacted Mr Rosenlund at the start of the year to ask if he could receive a team for six weeks of training in England. Sichuan hopes that the experience will give them an edge in the Chinese National Games, a four-yearly event second in importance only to the Olympics, which takes place in October.

China has been developing as a rowing nation over the past few years, spurred by the need to perform well in all sports at the Olympic Games in Beijing last year. It came fifth in the medal table at the Olympics, with one silver and one gold, pipping Great Britain to the title in the women’s quad by one second.

Of the athletes competing in Henley, Zhang was in the men’s eight that came seventh in Beijing while Li Qin, who will compete in the Princess Grace event for women’s quads, was world champion in the double scull in 2007.

“This is the second time that I have been to the UK and I am very excited,” she said. “I enjoy coming to England very much as it is the pinnacle of rowing. The course here in Henley is so beautiful, this regatta is the highlight of our time here.”

The 160th Regatta has attracted 468 crews from 15 nations for the 19 competitions that will be held between today and Sunday. Great Britain, the leading force in world rowing, has entered most of its national crews, including Andrew Triggs-Hodge and Peter Reed, who will try to follow in the wake of Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent by winning the Silver Goblets for men’s pairs.

Spectators at the qualifying races for the Regatta were surprised to see David Hasselhoff, the bouffanted television star of such series as Knight Rider and Baywatch, in the stroke seat of an Upper Thames Rowing Club boat. Hasselhoff had visited Henley to film a new series on the English country set and had persuaded the club to give him an outing.

“It’s probably the best exercise you could do for your entire body,” Hasselhoff told the local Regatta Radio station. “It’s kind of a Zen thing. You either get into it or you get killed.”

“He was very charming,” the cox for the Upper Thames crew said. “He was catching crabs here and there like every novice, but he was better when we did a burst than when we were paddling.”

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