Shen Meng, a pro freestyle skater, shows off some of his tricks. /CGTN Photo
It's an early March weekend and the weather in Beijing is still freezing cold. Outside Jiandemen subway station, Shen Meng is having lunch at a snack bar. Watching this shy forty-something eat his lunch, one would never guess that he is the country's top talent in freestyle skateboarding.
"He's been skating for more than 20 years and he practices this rigorously every single day. He's outstanding," says Xiao Long, one of Shen's oldest friends.
After performing some tricks, Shen is soon surrounded by young skaters. But he insists there is nothing special about him. And he says he is a bit "jealous" of these youngsters.
"It's not easy for those who have been skating since the 1990s. They were facing lots of difficulties," says Shen at a newly built indoor skate park. "Now seeing these kids skating in such a nice skate park, I'm a bit jealous. It reminds me of how difficult it was when I first skated."
Shen witnessed the emergence of skateboarding culture in China. Most of today's skaters weren't even born when he owned boards that cost a few months of his parents' salary in the 90s.
For over 20 years, Shen has faced constant financial pressure. He tried working as a graphic designer, but quit because it was detracting from his skating time. For Shen, the skateboard truly is his life.
Shen Meng (2nd R) wins "best style award" at the 2018 World Freestyle Round-Up. /CGTN Photo
In 2014, Shen became the very first skater from China to participate in an international skate contest, the freestyle skateboarding championship World Round-Up, walking home with the title "best new international skater." Then, in 2018 he claimed the "best style award" for himself. He continues to be a trailblazer for Chinese skateboarding, traveling to competitions in the U.S. and Canada, and even counts Rodney Mullen, considered by many the godfather of freestyle skating, among his friends.
The days when one's skateboard was worth the same as one or two months' salary are long gone. The sport has become much more affordable and accessible to mainstream society, with boards starting from a few hundred yuan. Shen's dedication to skating has played no small part in this development.
Shen Meng continues exploring the nature of skateboarding. /CGTN Photo
In his forties, Shen now has a new goal.
"In the future I wish to do something educational. I want to show more people how skateboarding is supposed to be. I want to explore its nature, rather than telling people my personal experience."
"Rediscovering China" is a 30-minute feature program offering in-depth reports on major issues facing China today. It airs on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. BJT (02:30 GMT), with a rebroadcast at 11:30 p.m. (15:30 GMT), as well as on Monday at 8:30 a.m. (00:30 GMT) and Friday at 1:30 p.m. (05:30 GMT).