Perfect place for young talent to make waves

Chinese sailing pioneer Wei Jun believes picturesque Shahu Lake near Yinchuan has all the attributes to become the perfect base for young sailors in northwest China.

Wei captained the first yacht from China to complete a global voyage and now specializes in training youth sailors and promotion.

"China's parents are concerned about their kids' security before sending them to sailing training," said Wei.

"In Shahu, the wind is not strong and the water is not that deep. It's very suitable for boats like The Optimist (a small, single-handed dinghy intended for use by children up to the age of 15).

In 2012, Wei and seven other crew members spent 10 months sailing over 42,000 kilometers of the world's oceans - a major milestone for Chinese sailing.

Since then, he has been opening training camps for kids and has high hopes that China can become a sailing powerhouse.

"The sport has developed very quickly over the past three years," enthused Wei. "More sailing clubs have been established and more kids are starting to learn sailing.

"We have five competitions every year for sailing clubs in China. The number of sailors in each competition has risen to over 100, compared to 20 three years ago."

Wei is also encouraged to see inland cities like Yinchuan, the capital of Ningxia Hui autonomous region, promoting the sport.

"Actually, people who live in inland cities show more passion for water-related sports," he said. "They don't usually experience sport on the sea.

"Once Shahu Lake becomes a center of sailing training and competition in this area, it will attract more people from neighboring provinces."

The inaugural Shahu Lake International Aquatic Sports and Tourism Festival is being held until Aug 9, featuring activities such as water aerobatics and a motorboat show.

Zhang Mei, deputy director of Ningxia Sports Bureau, said of the event: "It is the first time Ningxia has hosted a comprehensive aquatics festival as well as a national sailing tournament for kids aged between 8 and 14.

"It is a good start to our plan of setting up a youth sailing training center in the future.

"If we can get authorization to open a training center for the national team, it will definitely boost the sport's development in the region."

Chen Xiangfeng