Remote county gives rural vitalization a sporting chance

Since its rise in the 1970s in the United States, skateboarding has been intrinsically tied to urban street culture — a form of self-expression where skateboarders repurpose everyday urban spaces, like drained pools, sidewalks, benches and staircases, as their arenas for performing spectacular tricks.

Yet, in Yuantian village of Chongyi county, Jiangxi province, that dynamic gets flipped.

Here, skaters, while breathing in camphor-scented air, can carve through bowls and pump tracks against an idyllic backdrop of lush mountains and terraced rice fields, rather than a concrete jungle.

To drive rural vitalization through sports, earlier this year, Chongyi established China's first rural skateboarding base in Yuantian village.

The base features both street-style and bowl courses that meet the standards for national-level skateboarding competitions. It also includes unique accommodation options, such as log cabins and "space capsule" pods, as well as areas for rural tourism experiences like fishing, tree-planting and hiking.

In early May, the 2025 China Roller Skating (Skateboarding) Open kicked off in the village, attracting around 200 competitors from 30 teams.

Asian Games champion Chen Ye toured the facility during the event.

"This skatepark offers an utterly unique experience," he said. "Nestled in the mountains, with such lush greenery and adjacent to farmland, the atmosphere is completely different from other places I've skated at before."

Though sidelined by injury, the teen skateboarder expressed keen interest in returning after watching fellow skaters conquer the venue's innovative terrain.

"For skaters looking to find new experiences and chase that perfect footage, Yuantian's skatepark delivers something truly one-of-a-kind," said Zhou Weizhong, an official from the General Administration of Sport of China.

Wu Zhaoyang, operations manager of the skateboarding base in Yuantian village, said pro skaters from the base have been regularly providing free skateboarding lessons at local schools and organizing experiential events to cultivate the local skating culture.

"We've now established a township-level skateboarding team with standardized training programs, hoping to eventually take local skaters to competitions," Wu added.

The event attracted over 80,000 visitors, and generated comprehensive revenues exceeding 200 million yuan ($27.8 million), according to Li Guoquan, Party secretary of Chongyi county.

In recent years, Chongyi has been positioning itself as a premier sports tourism destination in China by diversifying its offerings across multiple sectors, including hiking, trail running, skateboarding and lure fishing.

On May 17, Chongyi hosted some 2,000 hikers from across the country for a scenic trek featuring its pristine mountains and waterways.

Additionally, Chongyi's Guobu town features a sports complex integrating maritime modeling, paddle boarding, and motocross training programs, attracting 150,000 annual visitors while generating over 200,000 yuan in collective annual income for three neighboring villages.

Li pointed out that hosting the aforementioned sporting events has stimulated growth in local businesses, including equipment rental services and the catering and hospitality sectors, generating employment opportunities and increasing local farmers' income.

In 2024, Chongyi county welcomed 1.32 million tourists, generating 1.06 billion yuan in tourism revenue.

The hospitality and catering sectors saw over 300 million yuan in additional income, while outdoor sports attracted 270,000 participants, boosting tourism revenue by 17.46 percent year-on-year.

"Chongyi is capitalizing on major sporting events to drive tourism, with the goal of becoming a premier outdoor sports destination in China," said Li.

"We invite visitors from across the country to experience the thrill of sports amid Chongyi's natural wonders."