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When 19-year-old Zhang Chao decided to take a gap year at university, the digital media major planned to use the short break to work and travel before going back to school.
But after spending a summer volunteering at a surf shop in Sanya, the capital of China’s Hainan province, everything changed.
“I really liked surfing and I never went back to school,” recalls Zhang.
That was nine years ago. Today, he is the proud founder of three Chinese surf brands – Shaka Surf Club, Goofydog Surf Shop and Tempo Restaurant and Bar.
“Surfing has been a rising trend in China over the last two years. It’s partly because of the efforts surfers and surf clubs like us have been putting into the scene for the last decade. But it’s also because of the pandemic,” says the surfer.
“As outdoor activities are preferred (amid Covid restrictions), many people head to the beach and start surfing… People are also becoming less work-oriented and are looking for an alternative way of life they enjoy.”
Chinese photographer and yoga practitioner Tina Tang agrees.
“Surfing gives you a sense of freedom because we are always looking at our smartphones and always sitting in the office so our mind is always occupied. So you just bring your surfboard and go to the ocean and you can forget about anything,” says Tang.
According to state media, Chinese cities with thriving surf scenes have seen tourist spending increases in the first half of 2022.
Wanning in Hainan province, for example, recorded 46.46% more tourism sales in that period. Guangdong’s Huizhou tourism industry saw an increase of 190%.
The increased popularity of China’s surfing scene has contributed to that growth, according to the report.
“Not every city is blessed with conditions needed for surfing. But with those favorable wave conditions, surfing helps diversify a city’s tourism industry and enrich its lifestyle. The surf community is more than just surfing,” says Zhang, who hosts exhibitions and beachside parties at his own surf club and restaurant.
