Chinese female surfer breaks boundaries, not just waves

World
Europe

"I am Monica Guo. I am from Guilin. I'm 31-years-old now. I learned surfing in 2008 in Hong Kong. I cannot tell you how I fell in love, but in one moment I knew surfing was part of my life and I just can't get out."

Meet China's first female longboard surf champion, who is making waves against cultural taboos for Chinese women.

After starting late in the game at age 22, Monica got her first surfing victory at the 2016 prestigious Hainan Open, which lead to her selection for the national team and she has never looked back.

The same year, she also finished second at the Asian Surfing Championships, the best performance by a woman from the Chinese mainland.

But it hasn't always been such a smooth ride and Monica not only had to battle relatives, but also the traditional social ideals of beauty and what a woman's role should be, to follow her dream.

Catching the swell

CGTN Digital exclusive interview with pro surfer Monica Guo /REnextop Video Footage/ Monica Guo Instagram Photo

"My journey is pretty interesting," said Monica. "At first, of course, I did not have support from my parents, because we are a pretty traditional family. They think my color is not right. I should be getting married, have a real job."

"After a while, I fell in love with surfing. It has totally changed my life. I became more serious and worked hard at surfing," the athlete added.

"Step by step I caught my championship, I got my gold and my parents saw how hard I tried. They understand me now and support me 100 percent."

An age-old hang-up

The surfer takes on China's biggest wave. /REnextop Video Footage and Photo

Skin-whitening is popular across China, a cultural trend where darker skin is often associated with manual outdoor work like farming, and therefore a lower status, a concept Monica is hoping to combat with her board.

According to a report from Global Industry Analysts the skin-lightening industry is projected to mushroom into a 23 billion US dollar business by 2020.

"For me, the most important thing is to show girls that brown is not ugly, it is pretty," expressed Monica. "Surfing makes you more beautiful and more healthy and sexier."

Monica first started surfing 10 years ago. /REnextop Video Footage/ Monica Guo Instagram Photo

The athlete's surfing ambition goes beyond competitions and medals. She hopes to inspire the younger generation and get more females passionate about the sport.

"My big dream is that I want more girls joining me of course," she stated. "Especially for girls, I think we need to show the world women’s power.

"We are really really strong, especially in China. The traditional and new generation maybe a little bit difficult for us, but I think we need to be stronger and we can!"

Surf's up

The Chinese national surfing team competing at the 2018 ISA World Longboard Surfing Championship /REnextop Video Footage/ Monica Guo Instagram Photo

Monica and the national surfing team are making strides in the right direction after this year's ISA Longboard Championship held in Wanning, southern Hainan Province, where they finished 13th out of 22 countries and regions that included big household names such as Honolua Blomfield from Hawaii.

"We have improved a lot because the Chinese government has supported us a lot and given us professional training," she explained. "Our coach PT Townsend is from Australia. He trained in the US for a long time and has a lot of experience."

"Before we were like free surfers, just surfing whenever we want. But now we have a trainer who can coach us how to be professional, so totally different things."

Olympics on the horizon

Surfing will make its Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games. /REextop Video Footage/ Monica Guo Instagram Photo

As the Winter Olympics has drawn to a close at PyeongChang, the 2020 Tokyo Games is at the forefront of Monica's mind: "I want to qualify to compete."

"I'm really looking forward to it, but I'm also nervous," she added. "All I can do now is training and training, go to different places and learn different surfing cultures and try to win. This is what I want.

"Our team hope is to be the world top 20."

The Future looks bright

The shortboard team will next compete in Australia. /REnextop Video Footage/Monica Guo Instagram Photo

Despite being a newcomer to the world of surfing, through government initiatives and major competitions being held locally, China is already making a name for itself – but can the nation be placed permanently on the surf map?

"I think the future of surfing in China is that we will grow up fast and we will be strong. The most important thing is to show the world China surfing is not a baby anymore," said Monica.

"We will be tougher, stronger and more professional."