First-person view or FPV drone racing is gaining popularity in China, as an increasing number of youngsters in the country gather in the field.
The game – a combination of augmented reality and video games – allows players to pilot their flying devices while wearing special goggles that allows them to watch the footage captured by the drones' cameras.
Racing drones are capable of flying at a speed of over 180 kilometers per hour, hence its analogy to Formula 1 in the sky.
China starts late in drone racing, but catches up
Drone racing has a short history of merely four years. The game was officially kick-started in 2015, with the advent of professional drone component suppliers in the market.
Major drone racing events have been organized since 2015 – mainly in the U.S. The first major drone race – World Drone Prix – was held in Dubai, which was considered the world's biggest and most lucrative drone race with an award of one million U.S. dollars.
The latest such event was held in China's Shenzhen, which garnered international attention and broadcast live across multiple channels, including the Olympic Channel. The winner was a 17-year-old Australian.
Some observers say Chinese drone players are lagging behind their foreign counterparts.
“Many say drone pilots from other countries are better than those in China, either because foreign pilots started earlier, or they are more into the game. They would hold a party for the game. But somehow Chinese players are too serious and more stressed out,” said Zou Xiang, a professional Chinese drone racer.
But China is gradually catching up, with more investment being poured into the sector.
"Although currently, this industry is a [new] sport, the market is growing very big, and at a very fast speed. And as we know China is the biggest manufacturer of drones in the world. So in the future, I'm pretty sure in less than five or ten years this sport would go mainstream,” said Chen Cheng, founder of X-Fly.
Brett Collis, a British drone racer, has been racing drones since the game started in the UK nearly four years ago, and he said China's drone racing games see more funds compared with those in the UK.
“It's quite a bit more funding here in China. The race is a lot more elaborate – lots of inflated gates, things like that – they look a lot better compared to the UK where it's more grassroots – kinda it's just a bunch of people off in a random field doing it,” said Collis.
Commercial drone use in China
Leading the rise of the drone industry, experts say China is the source of 70 percent of all drones sold worldwide in 2017. Most notably, Chinese company Dajiang Innovation (DJI) – a Shenzhen-based company – has witnessed an impressive growth since its founding in 2006.
Official figures from the company indicated that the DJI made a profit of one billion U.S. dollars in 2015. The company now is a leader in commercial drone sales, especially in the mid-priced and prosumer segment.
Besides entertainment, the Chinese government has been encouraging the commercial usage of drones in agriculture. Drones can save up to 60 percent of manual labor cost once they are extensively used in China's agricultural sector, according to Smart Agriculture Analytics.
However, multiple factors, including the lack of education among Chinese farmers, low battery life and low carrying capability of these drones are posing barriers, despite the rapid development of drone technology in the country.
Regulations on drone use have also been tightened for security reasons in China. Densely populated areas such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou have stricter policies regarding when drones can be flown and what flight paths they are allowed to take.