Young people like to visit the Shougang Extreme Park at dusk to skateboard, rollerblade or boulder. The site is part of the Shougang Industrial Park in west Beijing, close to the venue for the big air competition at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. Would-be professional skateboarder Shang Sijia is one of the frequenters. 

Shang was selected for the Beijing team in 2019, when she was 9 years old. She is preparing to compete in events including the Third National Youth Games in 2023. Her final dream is to take to the Olympic stage. 

Skateboarding made its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020. Now, it is a permanent Olympic sport. 

(Text and photos by Wei Yao) 

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson 

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