SHANGHAI, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- On the occasion of the National Fitness Day, though shrouded in the drizzle, Shenyang, a city in northeast China, welcomed its first citizens' frisbee competition.
More than 200 frisbee enthusiasts from eight clubs participated in the competition where a single elimination system was adopted.
"Frisbee is beneficial to national fitness, because it suits all people regardless of age and gender, without physical contact but with strong competitiveness," said Fan Zhanping, chairman of Preparatory Committee of Shenyang Frisbee Association.
Wu Yang, professor at Beijing Sport University, has been engaged in frisbee teaching and research for four years. According to his observation, frisbee became hot at the end of last year. "Many graduates asked me about Frisbee training, reflecting that the demand for frisbee coaches in the society has increased," he said.
A Wechat group established by Beijing land surfing fans often becomes active at 6 a.m. on weekdays as many of the group members go to Chaolai Park for practice before starting work.
Land surfing also became more popular after the snow season ended in March this year, according to Ze Ruirui, manager of Beijing Friday Club for surfing. "Land surfing is regarded as a substitute for snowboarding in non-snow seasons by lovers. This fashionable sport is easy to learn, making middle-aged people get their childhood back," she said.
In addition, sailing is another hot sport across China, especially in waterfront cities. In recent years, the promotion of sailing has broken through geographical restrictions, said Han Jingting, director of the media department of Chinese Yachting Association.
"Sailing is widely welcome in nearly 50 Chinese cities with water resources, not only coastal cities such as Qinhuangdao, Qingdao, Ningbo, Shenzhen and Haikou, but also inland cities such as Beijing, Wuhan, Suzhou and Jiujiang," she said, adding that even plateau lakes in Yunnan Province have become sailing bases.
Wang Yitan, brand manager of Beijing Sailing Center, a sailing camp education institution, said that many people from Beijing would spend a weekend with their families at the sailing base in Qinhuangdao. Some enthusiasts even bought houses near the base to meet their sailing demand all year round. "They have turned sailing into a way of living," Wang said.
In the view of Meng Fan, a senior sports industry investor, there are deep roots behind these cutting edge sports' popularity in China. "All these sports are very cool, making them easy to be widespread across the Internet. On the other hand, the cultural characteristics such as enterprise, competition and positive energy implied by the sports are very attractive to people with an aggressive life attitude," he said.
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