The beach in Hainan Province is always busting with tourists curious about surfing (CNSPHOTO)

Xia Dongyang, 20, reclined comfortably on a surfboard on Hainan Island, on a day in June around sunset. Small mounds of water could be seen coming gently in the distance. The sunset gleamed brilliantly on the rocky surface of the water, bathing the waves with red light. He was having such a good time that he felt he was in heaven. This new activity entered his mind only six months ago, when he saw surfing photographs of a blogger. He instantly set it as his next skill to master. 

Niche sports such as skateboarding and rock climbing have gained bigger following in China in recent years, same as surfing. Their inclusion in the Tokyo Olympics has also helped draw more attention. These adrenaline-pumping activities are becoming increasingly popular among young urban Chinese thrill-seekers.

According to state-broadcaster CCTV’s Grand Journal, the number of skating training facilities in China surged by 1,000 in the first half of the year, a 117.7-percent rise from January. On Xiaohongshu, a prominent travel and lifestyle information portal, more than 190,000 skateboarding-related articles and over 50,000 climbing-related posts were uploaded. As is the case with Xia, there is also a new passion for beach sports. Every year, local surf schools notice a rise in the number of tourists visiting Hainan Island and the beaches in the southeast with good surfing conditions. The tendency is more noticeable among the middle class.

Skateboarding in Shougang Extreme Park, Beijing, on August 8 (CNSPHOTO)

Social change

With the emergence of generations Y and Z, Chinese people’s interests have shifted. If the acquisition of wealth and commodities was everyone’s ambition in the past, children born in one-child families are now adults and aspire to a lifestyle free of the societal restraints faced by their elders. Sports, particularly specialist sports that provide a high adrenaline rush, have assumed a special significance in this context. If they were formerly a privilege of the wealthier classes, who had the financial resources to purchase the necessary equipment, now the Chinese middle class can also afford them with the rise in the purchasing power.

Li Feifei is a housewife and mother of a three- and- a half-year-old boy. She decided to enroll her kid in skateboarding courses based on his interest and personality. She looked around and discovered that skateboarding was significantly more expensive than mainstream sports like swimming and basketball. A tailored one-on-one instruction might cost up to 600 yuan ($94) per lesson. If this middle-class family signs for two or three lessons each week, it will amount to a big investment over the entire duration of learning. Despite the considerable cost, Li opted to have her son learn the skill.

The emergence of niche sports would have been unthinkable without the development of technology to enable the advancement of dedicated athletes. According to Xinhua News Agency figures, the number of climbing gyms in China has increased to 400, with over 300,000 members. To ensure that customers keep coming back, the proprietors must make changes to the climbing routes and walls on a regular basis. The availability of these sites in metropolitan areas is precisely what makes this kind activity lively.

Shi Yilong, 28, was among the first in China to get acquainted with skateboarding. “We had nowhere to practice skateboarding in the early days. The parks and neighborhoods both refused to let us skate,” he recalled. Skaters now have access to world-class skateparks and skating facilities in megacities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. Shi, far from being a “street gang” of yesteryears, has now gained fame, with 2 million subscribers to his sports vlogs.

Thrill seekers

What motivates young fans to join the niche sports trend is their desire to always push the edge and never compromise. Chen Lingxiao is a senior-year Peking University student. He was visibly “shocked” by the skills of the members of a university climbing club when he arrived. He was awestruck by this all-around activity that needed hands and arms, legs and trunk, as well as strong cerebral abilities. He is currently the club’s president due to his significant climbing skills gained over the three years of training.

“I think of climbing as a type of constant connection with my body. During workout, I can feel the strength of each muscle, and sometimes tiny increases in strength can help me reach challenging boulders and routes,” he explained. “The pursuit of physical perfection has provided me with a genuine feeling of personal success.”

Xia got similar feeling from surfing. When confronted with a strong wave, a high-performance surfer is required to do tricks and moves. However, for a beginner, getting inside a wave is never simple. When a large wave hits, he has no clue how to navigate it because he lacks adequate skills. As a result, you get a suffocated nose and a numb head.

Instead of succumbing to despondency, Xia worked hard to develop his skills via persistent training. “My biggest sense of achievement came when I successfully entered my first wave. That alone was enough to alleviate all of the previous frustration.”

Meanwhile, specialized sports enthusiasts are creating networks and establishing learning communities. Wu Yonglin is the leader of a skateboard group composed of university students in Beijing. She likes diving, skiing, street dancing, climbing, and a variety of other activities, in addition to skateboarding. Sports are not just about living a healthy life for this thrill-seeker, but also about enjoying life with friends. “The social network is the most fascinating thing,” Wu says. Through skateboarding, she has made some very good friends.

Xia is no longer content with being confined to his current status. He now hopes to be in the company of experienced surfers both to raise his level and to discover their passion for this extreme sport.

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