The Career Players of China

“Skateboarding is a game for brave and passionate men. The game gives me a sense of joy, and of self-control.” Jiang, 24, Shanghai

An interesting social group has emerged in several Chinese cities that have well-defined careers in extreme sports and extreme entertainment. While Chinese youth are noticeably self-centred and driven to enjoy life, members of these groups are more sensitive and painfully trendy. The groups’ members have been labelled as ‘career players’: in real life, they are most passionate about high-scoring street sports; on the Internet, they cling madly to games that involve fighting and self-realization. And hip-hop culture features heavily throughout their lives. This aesthetic is relatively new to the average Chinese lifestyle, even though it has been commonplace in the West for some time.

These mavericks often gather for entertainment and training at Beijing’s major squares. These extreme activities have set a new limit for youth activities. Out of love for the sport these men push their bodies to the limit. Most have scars to prove their devotion to their sports yet they refuse to stop performing. Youngsters born in the 1980s were lured to these activities, and now many are either professional or semi-professional extreme sportsmen. To them it is a challenge to devote themselves to such games, to become a career player, and to reject conformist attitudes that blatantly disapprove of their cavalier behaviour.