Sun, fun, surf and what Neptune teaches

Zhang Xiaoxiao, 24, chose to move to Hainan, mainly because of her fascination with surfing, after she graduated from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, Hubei province, in 2017.

During the summer holidays in 2015 Zhang, who studied architecture, visited Riyue Bay for the first time and volunteered to draw graffiti for a surf club.

"I found the tranquil place was very different to the hustle and bustle of well-known coastal resorts I had been to in Xiamen and Qingdao. When you look out over the ocean, anything that's bothering you simply disappears."

During her one-month stay in the surf club she practiced paddling on a board and the procedure by which the surfer manages to stand up.

At first she could barely get a thrill out of trying to ride because she was slender and lacked the strength to control the board, she says. Nevertheless, learning to surf was enjoyable because its relaxing nature helped put her in contact with nature.

"Doing all of this I realized how important it is to keep fit and remain a high degree of physical vigor," says Zhang, who later began to do regular physical workouts and tried other sports such as free diving, climbing and skateboarding, and yoga.

"Surfing opened a door for me to the overwhelming happiness of challenging myself."

She thus built a well-proportioned body and after graduating became a freelance model, allowing her to travel to seaside destinations frequently and enjoy the waves.

In addition, sporty images and messages on positive attitudes to living that she has posted on Sina Weibo have gained her more than 100,000 followers, encouraging her to continue telling others about what she does, using photos and videos, in the hope that one day she can be an online influencer.

Zhang says surfing has helped her form her own beauty standard and she does not blindly follow the precept that says that for women slim figures and white skin are the ideal.

"I'm so proud of my nice suntan and body shape now."