Editor’s note
As a representative of street sports, skateboarding has always occupied an important position among teenagers. Now, more and more Chinese teenagers pick up their beloved skateboards and walk out of the house to show their skills in the streets, parks and squares. In 2021, as skateboarding officially became the official competition event of the Tokyo Olympics, the development of skateboarding also ushered in a milestone. In this issue, we come to Shanghai, the “magic capital”, to learn regarding the story of professional skater Wang Wei.
Wang Ji: Skate For Fun!
In the Chinese skateboard circle, almost everyone knows the name of “post-95” skater Wang Wei.
Wang Ji slides over the front floor of the Peace Hotel in Shanghai Photographer Shen Yichen
Wang Ji, from Jinan, Shandong Province, is known as China’s Shane O’neill by the majority of skaters. He has a very solid and terrifying level of strength, and his strong footwork and relaxed style are representative of the new generation of skaters in China.
Wang Ji practiced his moves in Shanghai Xuhui Riverside Switch Kickflip photographer Wang Chenwei
“When I was a child, I used to sit on a skateboard and slide down the slope in front of my grandma’s house. This was my first relationship with skateboarding, even though I didn’t know how to play a skateboard at the time. Photos of skateboarding playing.” Wang Wei said that Jinan is one of the earliest cities in China to carry out skateboarding. When I was 10 years old and went to elementary school, I often saw some skaters practicing in the square, standing on the sidelines once more and once more to watch. The seeds are planted in the heart.
A photo of Wang Jiu playing skateboarding as a child hanging on the wall of her grandmother’s house
She really started to get in touch with skateboarding when she was in the sixth grade of Wang Yu Primary School. “When I was shopping at the supermarket, I happened to see a toy skateboard sold in the store. Seeing that I liked it so much, my dad bought it for me without hesitation.” Wang Ji, who finally got his first skateboard, began to train without sleep or sleep. From initial imitation to finding her own style, skateboarding has opened the door to a new future for Wang Ji. “To be honest, I didn’t expect to get out of control when I got into skateboarding. Skateboarding has amazing charm for skaters, complex movements, a sense of freedom, and even the joy of wrestling, which other sports can’t brought to me.”
Zheng Yi, a daily photographer who practices skateboarding
Wang Wei recalled that when she was 12 years old in 2007, she practiced skateboarding for at least 10 hours a day, and she almost always “don’t go home without cramping”. No matter spring, summer, autumn or winter, Wang Wei was always the first to arrive and the last to leave.
Wang Ji practiced the action in Shanghai Xuhui Riverside Ollie photographer Wang Chenwei
“When training, many skaters adhere to the ‘100,000-hour rule’ and try every move thousands of times every day. Even during the 360 Flip practice, it’s not a joke to insist on doing it 1,000 times a day. “Through hard training and analysis once more and once more, Wang Wei slowly formed the muscle memory of skateboarding. The training process is boring, but Wang Wei always enjoys it. “Skateboarding has been with me for almost half of my life, and he has become an inseparable part of my life.”
Wang Wei practicing action 360 Flip at Shanghai Science and Technology Museum Photographer Wang Chenwei
As a professional skater, a good pair of skateboard shoes and a good professional skateboard are naturally just needed equipment. Wang Wei said that the earliest skate shoes used were a pair of white Osiris skate shoes with a skull print. Osiris is a well-known skate shoe brand founded in the United States in 1996, and it is also the choice of many professional skaters. The first professional skateboard is the Boiling primary board. Boiling is an original Chinese skateboard brand founded in 2000. It is specially designed, produced and assembled for skateboard beginners. It also enjoys a certain reputation in the domestic skateboard circle. Jinan is the earliest city in China to develop skateboarding. These two pieces of equipment were bought at the Eversk8 skateboard shop in Jinan. Unfortunately, this old-fashioned skateboard shop in Jinan failed to persist. It really became an Ever Skate a few years ago. …
Wang Ji is practicing the action Wallride photographer Wan Yize
After several years of hard training, in 2010, Wang Wei ushered in the debut of a large-scale personal skateboarding event in Rizhao – the China Water Games Skateboard Park Competition. Participate once.” The strong players are like clouds, and Wang Wei, who participated in the rookie group competition, has made a decision – let it go! As a result, it was this give-and-take mentality that made the fledgling Wang Ji a blockbuster. Several waves of difficult moves conquered the on-site referee, and finally won the first place in the rookie group.
With the success of Rizhao this time, Wang Ji is more confident in her skateboarding career. In major domestic competitions, Wang Ji is a strong contender for the championship, and the trophy was once soft. “I remember being invited by Nike to go to Hong Kong to participate in the Nike City Jam skateboarding competition in 2015, and also won the championship. The trophy was very heavy at that time, and now the trophy is still in my house.”
Some of the events and awards that Wang Wei participated in
However, skateboarding is still a difficult sport in the eyes of many people. In 2020, Wang Wei was invited to attend the Beijing Auto Show as a skateboard model for the Mustang booth. On the field, no matter how he explained, he might not persuade the security guard to allow him to bring the skateboard into the exhibition hall. For the skateboarder who regarded the skateboard as a “friend who fought side by side”, this was obviously unacceptable. Let Wang Ji bring the skateboard into the exhibition area. Wang Wei said: “It can be seen from this incident that some people still lack understanding and even have prejudices regarding skateboarding. It still takes a process to gain more understanding and respect from people, and every Chinese skateboarder needs to make efforts. , to jointly create a good image of skateboarding.”
Wang Ji was invited to attend the Beijing Auto Show
With Wang Ji’s performance getting better and better, skateboard brands have thrown olive branches to him, including Nike. In 2011, Wang Ji was sponsored by Nike for the first time, wearing Nike equipment and winning awards in major competitions.
Wang Wei and Wang Yibo and other friends participated in brand activities together
In 2016, Nike officially signed a contract with the skateboarder. Wang Ji was very excited to receive this heavy contract. “At that time, Johnny Tang, the manager of the Nike SB China team, told me that I wanted to shoot a video of my personal skateboarding in exchange for Nike’s contract. Besides, I started a 4-month work day and night with photographer Liu Haoxuan (Maomao)! Finally, the release of the Lit. short film made me realize the importance of shooting personal videos for professional skaters.”
Wang Ji and Lit videographer Liu Haoxuan
Shanghai Science and Technology Museum Lit Shooting Highlights Photographer Wang Chenwei
After slipping out of good results, Wang Ji left her hometown in Shandong and came to Shanghai for development. Wang Wei knows how to do as the locals do. She knows that the most important thing in life in Shanghai is to find a sense of belonging there. With the help of Johnny Tang, Wang Wei joined Fly, a local skateboard brand in Shanghai, and opened a new chapter in her life.
Wang Ji practiced his movements on Xizang South Road in Shanghai Kickflip photographer Johnny Tang
Wang Wei shoots action Switch Kickflip with photographer Johnny
As a professional skater signed by Nike, Wang Wei often receives skateboard shoes from the brand. Talking regarding this topic, Wang Ji mentioned three pairs of shoes. He simply “can’t put it down” for the Passport joint Dunk High SB that he received recently. The color matching and details of this pair of shoes have been integrated into the hot outdoor style of the past few years. Good match.
Wang Ji wears Nike SB Dunk High Passport to practice skateboarding
In addition, the Dunk Low SB “Frozen” co-branded by Nike SB and Strangelove is also a shoe that hit Wang Wei’s heart, and the Dunk High SB co-branded with Atlas is a shoe Wang Wei often wears.
The Nike SB Dunk Low Strangelove “Frozen” by Wang Wei
The Nike SB Dunk High Atlas that Wang Ji often uses
As a Nike contract skater, many friends may think that Wang Wei is the most in need of skateboard shoes. Usually, he definitely does not need to buy shoes by himself. Heel received almost the same amount of sponsorship. “This time, I just bought a pair of Eric Koston’s Dunk High SB ‘Thai Gold’, because the epidemic has not yet arrived; I especially like to buy old shoes, but if the price is right, I bought a pair of Dunk High at Sneaker Con last year. SB Bloody Sunday ‘Blood Sunday’, also started with Dunk High SB Brut ‘Cologne’ and a pair of Dunk High SB from the early Civilist collaboration. However, as a professional skater, I used to get the sneakers and skated immediately, and the shoes were worn out. It’s too fast to wear out and throw it away. Now if you want to own old shoes once more, you have to pay for yourself, but these old shoes are basically not used for skateboarding anymore…”
Nike SB Dunk High Eric Koston “Thai Gold”
Nike SB Dunk High Bloody Sunday
DunkHighSBBrut “Cologne”
Nike SB Dunk High Civilist
As a professional skateboarder, skateboarding used to occupy a large proportion in Wang Ji’s life. Eating, sleeping, and skateboarding were almost the whole of his life. Later, skateboarding also became the content of work. With the arrival of work and family responsibilities, work and skateboarding began to take equal proportions in Wang’s daily life.
Wang Ji and photographer Wang Chenwei
In addition to skateboarding, Wang Ji also devoted herself to Kizzles, the clothing brand she manages. Founded in 2017, Kizzles was founded by Wang Yu when he was skateboarding for 10 years. In 2012, Wang Wei came to Shanghai to pursue her dream to make a living. Without the financial support of her family, Wang Wei also encountered many practical problems – how to survive skateboarding? How to survive on the road to becoming a professional skateboarder?
Kizzles, the brand managed by Wang Wei
Wang Ji wearing her own brand Kizzles clothing
In fact, there are many answers. By chance, Wang Wei chose to start a clothing business of purchasing on behalf of others, and brought her favorite skateboard brand clothing into China for sale. Later, Wang Wei slowly found that skateboard pants were relatively expensive, and she wanted to buy a pair of clothes that she liked. It’s not easy to wear new pants, and they will wear out over time. It is very difficult to buy a pair of pants that are exactly the same. Inspired by this incident, Wang Ji began to study pants.
Wang Ji’s daily skateboard outfit
Wang Ji bluntly said that making a Kizzles brand is a lot like playing a skateboard. It needs to be explored step by step. Making a product is like completing a technical action with a sense of accomplishment. For Wang Wei, Kizzles has many meanings, “Like my children (Kids) need my careful care, and I am also one of the children (Kids) skateboarding on the street, Kizzles also represents a key (Keys) used to open the door. The door to a new world.”
Wang Ji’s daily wear: own brand Kizzles clothing and Nike skateboard shoes
“As a skateboard brand, we still have to gradually spread to the public with skaters as the mainstay. In the future, we still have to go with the flow and don’t want to be too commercialized, just like my character.” Wang Wei introduced that this year’s June 6 In this month, Kizzles will join hands with DunkBoyz to launch new themed joint products, and the new series of clothing for the spring and summer of 2022 will also be launched in July. Affected by the epidemic, the release of new products has been delayed for more than two months, but I am very satisfied with the design of the new products.
Speaking of independent clothing brands, Wang Ji also shared with us a story of her own. As an adult, I love to drink. After skating with friends, eating and drinking together has become a daily life in skateboarding life. If I drink too much, vomiting and fragmentation have become commonplace, so drinking has also become his own brand Kizzles. Design, from “vomit boy” to “cheap drunk” on the street, this is the design inspiration comes from life.
‘Vomit Boy’ and ‘Drunk on the Cheap’ T-Shirts
Kizzles Apparel with Grateful Dead × Nike SB Dunk Low Pro “Opti Yellow” Bear
In the past two years, many trendy brands such as BAPE have launched a variety of skateboard-style shoes. Domestic sports brands such as Li Ning and Anta have also officially entered the skateboard market. The recovery of Nike SB Dunk has driven the popularity of skateboard shoes. Wang Wei believes that the rise of the skateboard industry, which is deeply loved by young people, is inevitable. There will be more and more people who like skateboards, and the market value will also increase. The competition of brands will surely bring more excellent works to the surface. water surface. “Now, the development of the domestic skateboard industry is getting better and better, and foreign brands are still trustworthy. Whether to buy imported or domestic, I think it all depends on personal needs and whether your wallet is full. I suggest you start with the skateboard culture. Think regarding brand choices from a different perspective.”
Kizzles Apparel With Nike SB Dunk Low Pro QS “Street Hawker”
When talking regarding the development of skateboarding in China, Wang Wei believes that, influenced by the entry of skateboarding into the Olympic Games, the country has begun to pay attention to the development of skateboarding. There are still considerable gaps in other places. “It is said that any sport needs to have popularity. At present, our country is still lacking in this point. Coupled with the influence of some traditional thinking, there are not many young children who participate in and insist on skateboarding in China. Want to narrow down with the world’s strong teams The gap between the two, skateboarding should start from a doll, and the professional skateboarders who are familiar with foreign countries all start training at the age of 5, with the support of professional venues and families.”
At present in China, most parents are reluctant to let their children slide on skateboards, for fear that their children will suffer a little pain; China’s existing medical conditions do not allow ordinary skateboarders to be seriously injured, and they cannot be cured. It is impossible to skateboard without injury; coupled with the academic pressure, children’s time to participate in skateboarding is relatively limited, which has created a large gap between China’s skateboarding and the world’s top level. From the perspective of competition, the Chinese national skateboarding team clearly shows that if they want to narrow the gap, they can only select materials across the border and cultivate them from an early age. Wang Wei believes that skateboarding should be a pure and fun sport, advocating free and unrestricted sports. The purpose of participating in skateboarding is not to rank, but to play the goals you want to achieve and make your own ideas. action.
Wang Ji practice action Switch Kickflip photographer Wang Chenwei
Affected by some factors, there are still many people in society who hold negative or even “ugly” views on street sports such as skateboarding. Because of this, as a skater who loves skateboarding, Wang Wei said that she needs to take action to convey a positive, positive and sunny image of skateboarding. Therefore, Wang Wei often records videos, so that more people can feel the handsomeness of street skateboarding, show their values and ideas, and through the help of Kizzles brand, hope to promote skateboarding to a bigger stage with personal influence.
Wang Ji’s skateboard routine
“I actually like to walk into a new city with a skateboard. I often think regarding where I’m going to skateboard next. However, besides my hometown of Shandong, my favorite is Shanghai, the ‘magic capital’,” Wang Ji said. , looking forward to all the friends who love skateboarding, work and live in Shanghai to join in, and together in the name of skateboarding, Skate For Fun!
personal social platform
Weibo:Wang Yu WDLittle Red Book:Wang Yu WD
This period,You can leave a message on the official WeChat account of Hongwang SportsShare your skateboarding story or your understanding of skateboarding culture.We will use the lottery system to randomly select from all reader comments2 peopletransport readersGet the corresponding prizes below.
lucky reader one
Kizzles Basic Logo Short Sleeve (worth 139 yuan)
UZIS × EVA joint tie-dye sports socks – No. 2 machine (worth 69 yuan)
Home Party Romantic Soda (worth 98 RMB)
Royal MEN Whitening Moisturizing Cleanser (value 69 yuan)
lucky reader two
Home Party Luerle Liqueur (worth 1,000 yuan)
Kizzles Rose Embroidered Denim Brim Hat ($139 Value)
UZIS SOX Comics – Healing White Trend Casual Sports Socks (worth 49 yuan)
Royal MEN Whitening Moisturizing Cleanser (value 69 yuan)
The pictures of the prizes are for reference only, please refer to the actual product
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