Surf skating rides the wave of popularity

According to data from Tmall Global, this year, sales of imported skateboards on the platform have increased, with the fastest growth among consumers from the post-1995 and post-2000 generations.

Shi Ziyi, leader of Hainan's skateboard team, says that surf skating groups are mainly in their 20s and 30s, with the sport especially popular among urban females.

"We are bringing the latest products with new trends like surf skating to the expo to help overseas brands find more opportunities," says Jiang Nanbaihui, brand marketing director of Tmall Global.

At the expo, numerous overseas brands have entered the Chinese market and enhanced their reputation among Chinese consumers. This year, Tmall Global has signed cooperative agreements with 15 overseas skateboard brands like Carver and Santa Cruz.

"With creative design, imported brands have great potential in the Chinese market," says Jia Xudong, head of Carver in China.

As skateboarding made its Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games, Chinese schools have introduced the sport to PE classes, while there has also been an emergence of skate clubs.

Industry insiders believe that these kinds of products will have a more promising future in the Chinese market.