Chiba Hidenobu: Open a professional surfing shop in Hainan

By Cai Rong / HIMC / Updated: 23:27,12-January-2023

Editor's notes:

As deep water makes for healthy fish, a strong city makes for a flourishing economy. A rich business environment is the fertile soil for the survival and development of enterprises. It attracts projects, boosts industry, and promotes development.  Since the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port began, Hainan has—in order to optimize the business environment—continuously worked at systemic innovation and improved mechanisms. The FTP is striving for accelerating the formation of a legalized, internationalized and convenient business environment, to create a fair, open, and efficient market environment. With its vigorous rise and the continuous optimization of its business environment, more and more foreign talents have come to Hainan to start businesses. The Hainan International Media Center has launched a special program: "Making it in the FTP" to hear from those foreign talents in Hainan, to tell their entrepreneurial stories of life in the Hainan Free Trade Port, and to showcase the development and changes taking place in Hainan's business environment.

Chiba Hidenobu. [ HIMC ]

Fifteen years ago, Japanese Chiba Hidenobu came to Hainan for the first time. Originally attracted by the superior surfing conditions, he came back again not long after. After his third trip to Hainan, he made the decision to give up his job in Japan and settle in Hainan.

Having now spent more than 10 years living in Hainan, he has done many kinds of professional surf-related job available on Hainan. This includes serving as one of the coaches of the Zhejiang Provincial Surf Team and as a coach for the Chinese National Surf Team. Considered a pioneer of Hainan’s surf culture, he is also a witness to the development of its surf industry.

[ Provided by Chiba Hidenobu ]

“As soon as winter comes, the surf at Wanning’s Riyue Bay begins to improve. There are lots of good waves, good breakers, and good places to go surfing. This is why Chinese people consider Wanning a domestic surf paradise.”

Owing to physical limitations, Chiba Hidenobu doesn't go surfing as much as he used to. This didn’t stop him, however, from realizing his longstanding dream of opening a professional surf shop. With a quiet and elegant environment, reasonably good community management practices, and good transportation options, Shenzhou Peninsula was Chiba Hidenobu first choice for opening his business.

“Opening the store was easy-peasy. Even though I’m a foreigner, I really didn’t come across any major troubles.”

HIMC

Chiba's ‘Q Surf Club’ not only acts as an agent selling many brands of professional surfboards and wetsuits from Japan, it also provides customers with custom products and professional repair service. Like many Japanese, he is a strong believer in providing top-notch professional-grade services. As a result Q Surf is becoming more and more known by a greater number of surf professionals and surf tourists coming to Shenzhou for holidays or training.

In the more than one year since Q Surf was the first surf club to open on the peninsula, the number of surf shops has increased to about fifteen. As a result, he is known to jokingly say: "Now my shop can be regarded as an old and respected brand name."

HIMC

Since the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port began, Chiba Hidenobu has paid close attention to the trade developments taking place. According to the way he looks at things, the rapid development of the island is an amazing thing to watch. Watching carefully has also allowed him to really see the province's firm determination to build an internationally influential "free trade port with Chinese characteristics."

As for what the future will bring, Chiba Hidenobu said that he had already been considering import/export at the time he opened Q Surf. “I also hope that the surfing equipment which I make can be exported to other countries.” His goal is to open a brand new professional sporting goods store that not only provides surfing equipment to Chinese customers but also has other supplies for other sports (including skiing, table tennis, and golf) so that more sports lovers can experience professional services.

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