Hainan Through My Eyes ①: Surfing On a Dream

By / HIMC / Updated: 20:58,03-October-2022

Editor's notes:

In the past decade, especially since the construction of the Free Trade Port began, Hainan has gradually developed into one of China's most open and dynamic regions. Dreamchasers from around the world have rushed to this beautiful island, the heart of China's reform and opening up in the new era, in the pursuit of their dreams and giving their lives value.

HIMC is launching the bilingual micro-documentary series "Hainan Through My Eyes". In the series, HIMC's team of presenters and "overseas communication officers" interview ten ordinary young people about their extraordinary journeys working in different fields within the Hainan Free Trade Port as they recount the youthful dreams that motivated them along the way. ——Wu Bing, a Chinese-American who came back from the United States to start a business and introduced dozens of overseas projects to Hainan; Huang Yingying, a surfing supreme who chases dreams on the cusp of every wave; and Pan Dailin, whose masterful performances of Hainan Opera have given Hainan a voice on the global stage... The story behind the struggles of each of these young hopefuls is the story of Hainan, and it in turn gives hope to other young people looking to chase their dreams in the Hainan Free Trade Port.

We hope that through this series, you will learn more about the Hainan Free Trade Port and the power of youth. 

Back in September 2012, the first national youth surfing team was assembled in Wanning. This is when and where Huang Yingying had her first taste of surfing. The rest is history.

From the seeds of a dream, a budding hope emerged, awaiting the chance to bloom. That chance came on September 11, 2021, when the Gen-Z surfing wonder girl Huang Yingying—from humble beginnings in Tianxin Village, a Li village on the coast of Riyue Bay—snagged a history-defining gold medal in the surfing final at the 14th China National Games.

The realization of a dream, a decade in the making. For Huang, however, winning medals is not her end goal. Hers, alongside her teammates and surfing buddies, is the daily grind of finding that one wave that allows them to surpass themselves. Just like a surfer ready to ride the waves, so too is Hainan ready to ride the wave of limitless opportunity.

In this episode of "Hainan Through My Eyes", learn about Huang Yingying's adventures of surfing on a dream.

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