Culture

Memories of when skateboarding rolled into Beijing

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-06-24 09:48

Gleaming the Cube was first screened in China in the late 1980s. The stylish action of the skateboarding movie caught the gaze of film fanatics and quickly created a fad among Chinese teenagers.

Unfortunately for them, no skateboards were available in China at the time. Not perturbed, children replayed the tricks from the movie and then acted them out in open spaces without a board.

Zeng Bingfeng makes a scene in front of St. Joseph's Cathedral on Wangfujing. [Wang Jing / China Daily]

Zeng Bingfeng, 31, started skateboarding in 1989, a long time before "Powell" or "Zoo York" skateboards rolled into the city, by using a skateboard made by his father.

He recalls a skateboarding crew named "The Three-Legged Cats", which often rode around Gongzhufen (a "three-legged cat" is the Chinese version of a "jack of all trades, master of none").

"They were probably the first skateboarding crew in China," he said.

Zeng was a preteen at the time and said he would often sit on his skateboard and observe them quietly.

When Powell, an American brand, monopolized China's skateboard market in the early 1990s, Zeng said the cheapest skateboard was 398 yuan.

"That was a lot of money for Chinese families," he said.

Zeng also had to save for shoes because they would quickly wear out during practice.

"Later on, someone attached leather to the worn places and soon everyone started copying," Zeng said.

"I wanted people on the street to see the leather on my shoes and know straight away I am a skateboarder."

In 1994, the Powell Skateboarding Contest in China invited two skateboarding godfathers - Danny Wainwright and Steve Cabellero.

Zeng recalled how everyone he knew wanted to check out the competition. He said boarders used various ways to get the money needed to make the trip.

"Some borrowed and never repaid, some stole from their parents. Others sold everything they owned, just to meet skateboarding friends from all over the country."

The popularity of the skill continued to grow and Beijing boarders started swapping tips on the best places to ride.

Skateboard parks now exist in Shijingshan, Ditan Stadium, Liuyin Park, and Honglingjin Park, with the newest addition being in Daxing district.

Before these parks, any smooth space was viewed as an opportunity for skateboarding. Zeng recalled the best places were underground tunnels, Tian'anmen Square, the Olympic area, Chaoyang Park and his personal favorite, St. Joseph's Cathedral on Wangfujing.

He said he has been skateboarding in front of the church for more than three years.

"It's like the skateboarder's Holy Land," he said.

"I want to tell all skateboarders that if they get a chance to come to Beijing, they should definitely visit the Church and check out how the godfathers of Beijing preach."

METRO