Remote county gives rural vitalization a sporting chance

Since its rise in the 1970s in the United States, skateboarding has been intrinsically tied to urban street culture — a form of self-expression where skateboarders repurpose everyday urban spaces, like drained pools, sidewalks, benches and staircases, as their arenas for performing spectacular tricks.

Yet, in Yuantian village of Chongyi county, Jiangxi province, that dynamic gets flipped.

Here, skaters, while breathing in camphor-scented air, can carve through bowls and pump tracks against an idyllic backdrop of lush mountains and terraced rice fields, rather than a concrete jungle.

To drive rural vitalization through sports, earlier this year, Chongyi established China's first rural skateboarding base in Yuantian village.

The base features both street-style and bowl courses that meet the standards for national-level skateboarding competitions. It also includes unique accommodation options, such as log cabins and "space capsule" pods, as well as areas for rural tourism experiences like fishing, tree-planting and hiking.

In early May, the 2025 China Roller Skating (Skateboarding) Open kicked off in the village, attracting around 200 competitors from 30 teams.

Asian Games champion Chen Ye toured the facility during the event.

"This skatepark offers an utterly unique experience," he said. "Nestled in the mountains, with such lush greenery and adjacent to farmland, the atmosphere is completely different from other places I've skated at before."

Though sidelined by injury, the teen skateboarder expressed keen interest in returning after watching fellow skaters conquer the venue's innovative terrain.