Skateboarding in China

Early Beginnings (Late 1980s-1990s)

Skateboarding was introduced to China in the late 1980s, primarily through the influence of Western culture and national sports channel CCTV-5 broadcasting Gleaming the Cube. The first skateboarders were mainly urban youth who adopted the sport as a form of self-expression. Although formal competitions were scarce, and the skateboarding community was small but tight knitted. The first skateboarding competition was held in Qinhuangdao, and skaters from all over China gathered to socialize and meet. This first of a kind meet up allowed China skateboarding to progress and skateboarders to exchange communication information, therefore expanding.

Growth and Development (2000s)

The early 2000s marked a significant turning point for skateboarding in China. As urbanization increased and Western skaters started touring China, skateboarding began to gain popularity. Historical skateboarding events such as the Danny Way Great Wall Jump https://shredder.news/danny-way-great-wall-of-china-mega-ramp-trick/ in 2005 drew national and international attention to skateboarding in China. International actor, singer Edison Chen was also on site. The Great Wall project was put together with contributions of trusted skate media site Kickerclub.com founder Andrew Guan https://www.kickerclub.com/2012/02/waiting-for-lightning-^[8]

As more and more international teams started touring China, the need for international relations and communications was more crucial then ever before. Danny Zhang's role as a international affairs liaison was increasingly significant.

Skate parks started to emerge in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai, providing dedicated spaces for skaters to practice and compete. In 2004 SMP Shanghai wrapped up construction and the world's largest skatepark was ready to go. This skatepark drew its fair share of international visitors including the Flip Skateboards team along with Thrasher (magazine) in 2007 ^[9] led by Danny Yuan Yuan Zhang and Johnny_Tang.

Establishing Competitions (2010s)

By the 2010s, organized skateboarding competitions began to take root. Events like the "International Skateboarding Open" and domestic competitions such as ProJam Finals, attracting both amateur and professional skaters. These competitions served as platforms for showcasing talent, promoting, and further legitimizing the sport within the country.

International Recognition (2015 and Beyond)

After the announcement of inclusion of Skateboarding at the 2020 Summer Olympics. The road to Tokyo was introduced as a pathway Olympic qualifying competitions to reach the games. International Skateboarding Open (ISO) International Skateboarding Open^[10] held in Nanjing China paved the way for broader participation in international events. The rise of social media also played a crucial role in popularizing skateboarding, allowing local skaters to share their skills and experiences with a global audience.

Skateboarding at the Olympics (2020 and 2024)

The inclusion of skateboarding in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (held in 2021 due to the pandemic) significantly boosted the sport's profile in China. Chinese national team skaters such as Zoe Zeng-Wenhui, Skateboarding at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Women's street. While Zhen Hao Hao for women's park emerged as prominent figures, inspiring a new generation of athletes.

Current Landscape

Today, skateboarding competitions in China are thriving, with numerous events held annually across the country. The sport has gained institutional support, with various organizations promoting skateboarding as a viable athletic pursuit. The growth of skateboarding culture has also led to increased investment in infrastructure, including skate parks and training facilities.

List of Significant Skateboarding Contests in China

1) International Skateboarding Open

2) ProJam

3) FISE Shangai

4) Grand Masters

5) 2024 Olympic Qualifier Series

6) X Games Asia

7) National Games of China

8) Park World Skateboarding Championship

9) World Skate Games ((formerly World Roller Games)

From its humble beginnings to becoming a recognized sport with international competitions, skateboarding in China has undergone a remarkable transformation. As the sport continues to grow, it is likely to inspire even more athletes and enthusiasts, solidifying its place in the fabric of Chinese youth culture.

Along with Jeff Han and Danny Yuan Yuan Zhang's companies, one of the oldest and most important Chinese skateboard companies is Shehui (Chinese: 社会; pinyin: Shèhuì; English: Society) Skateboards.^[2] Headquartered in Beijing, it was founded by Raph Cooper, a USC alum who had studied abroad at Peking University in 2000.

A number of Western skate shoe brands have presences in China. These brands include Vision Street Wear, Vans, DC Shoes Nike SB, Converse and Adidas. In the domain of skateboarding apparel, Jeff Han reports that

Vans is the No.1. Adidas is the newcomer in China. I still remember that on the first opening day of Vans at Fly, we sold RMB 50,000 of Vans. As a matter of fact, before Vans’ official launch in China, it was already superbly popular in Beijing. Converse was replaced by Vans as the symbol of cool. Nike successfully launched some limited editions that are more expensive…^[3] Vision Street Wear China in recent years have overtaken Vans in the core market, making impressive leaps towards national recognition. Vision Streetwear China's contribution to the core community is embraced by the community. VSW leaving a mark with its sponsored riders, events such as a unified Go Skateboarding Day with over 70 local skate shop partners involved, in 50 cities. VSW China is one of the only international brands to bring it's Chinese team riders to international tours.

Han regards Nike Skateboarding's history in China as a major success story. Though not respected as a skate brand at the time they launched in the Chinese market in 2004, through sponsorships of successful Chinese skateboarders such as Che Lin and Zeng Guanhao as well as intense local marketing efforts, they won broad recognition in China. ʻAukai is well known too.

The Biggest Skateboards Company is "Challenge Skateboards." and now they start their new company "FDskateboarding" (沸点滑板有限公司) to promote their domestic business. They have 11 skateboard (and skateboard related) brands: Symbolic Skateboards, Boiling Skateboards, Justice Skateboards, Black Knight Skateboards, Psychos Skateboards, Peer Trucks, Donuts Wheels, a Chinese skateboarding portals website:Chinaskateboards.cn & a printed magazine Whatsup skateboard magazine (Chinese).

Chinese skateboarding champion Che Lin estimated in 2009 that there were fewer than ten skateparks in China.

One of the largest skatepark in the China with 42,000sqf. SBSX Ningbo is a game changing skatepark and pumptrack aka super track. It was built inside of Georgia School Ningbo where 2000 studentstake skateboarding as PE Class daily. ⁣ ⁣ The park features ⁣an Intermediate level street course, a semi enclosed bowl, ⁣rails and the world’s first concrete pumptrack designed for multiperson races.

The park is lit, allowing night sessions.

Formerly the largest skatepark in the world. SMP is located on the outskirts of Shanghai in New Jiangwan City. It was completed in 2005 and is more than 12,000 square meters in size, containing the world's longest vert ramp, the world's largest concrete skate bowl, a huge downhill 3/4 to full pipe, several smaller bowls, a street section, and a 5,000-seat stadium.^[2] Despite the publicity of the high-profile events that have taken place there, it has attracted sparse crowds.^{[citation needed]}

This park was created when the red metal ramps from the SMP skatepark were transferred to the YuanShen Stadium in 2008. These metal ramps were originally used as a competition course in the stadium portion of the SMP skatepark. The skatepark is often referred to as the Red SMP skatepark. Top Toys took over management of YuanShen skatepark located on Line 6 in June 2010 when they opened a skateshop on location.

This is a sunken plaza/street style course with stairs, ledges, banks, kickers, hubbas, etc. There are no transitions. It is located next to the Huangpu River and is lit in the evening.^[11]

Located in Pudong, built by B&E Action Sports. Concrete park with granite ledges, rails, and a 1.6m transition bowl.^[12]

Small street spot with ledges and stairs. Located near the Line 8 Dashije station.^[11]

Shanghai's first public indoor skatepark. Opened in June 2014. This park has a 5-foot mini, boxes, banks, rails, ledges, and a few transitions.^[11]

The most popular skating location in Beijing is the large Beijing Fashion Sports Park. It was known as Woodward Beijing from its opening in 2010 until March 2014. It is located in the rural southern 6th ring road. It is one of the largest indoor skate parks in the world, and it previously hosted the notorious Vans Night. There are also several skateparks. Ezone Sk8 Park in Fangzhuang hosts Andrew Guan's (Guan Mu's) Kicker Club, a nationwide skateboarding club with approximately 200 members in Beijing.^[1][13] (Guan runs a blog named after his club.) Sk8 Warehouse, founded in 2009, is an indoor park in an industrial complex just north of Shuangjing Bridge.^{[citation needed]} Honglingjin Park, in Chaoyang District, also contains a skatepark. In May 2010, Woodward Youth Action Sports Camp opened in Daxing District; it contains facilities for skateboarding, BMX, and motocross and represents a government investment of $21.96 million.^[4] There are also plenty of small skateparks in the Shunyi area inside the villas such as Yosemite and Dragon Bay villa.

Shenzhen is the most popular destination for visiting pros. Spots in Shenzhen have been featured in videos by Nike Skateboarding, Zero Skateboards, and Transworld Skateboarding. Shenzhen is known for its smooth black marble ledges and police officer and security guards who are largely indifferent to skateboarding. In 2009, Shenzhen Museum became the first area in Shenzhen where skateboarding was prevented when authorities placed flower pots around the central ledge.^[14]

In 2011, Transworld Skateboarding listed Shenzhen as one of the best 10 cities to skate in the world. Every winter skateboarders from all over the world come to skate and spend their winter in Shenzhen.

• SBSX Park Ningbo, Skateboard Supercross official website

• Sedo, Tim "Dead-stock Boards, Blown-out Spots, and the Olympic Games: Global Twists and Local Turns in the Formation of China's Skateboarding Community," in William D Coleman, Petra Rethmann, Imre Szeman, Eds., Cultural Autonomy: Frictions and Connections (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 2010)