Exploring the Rise in Popularity of Rollerblading in Bejing

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A few years ago we wrote about the emerging skateboarding scene in Beijing, which has continued to grow in the years since. However, another sport that has also seen a recent growth is rollerblading.

During the May semi-lockdown in the capital I was surprised to see the sidewalks and streets near where I live filled with kids, teenagers and even some adults practicing rollerblading. Since then I’ve regularly noticed people rollerblading in various open spaces around Beijing, as well as of course in skate parks. 

Skateboarding has already seen a rise in popularity in China and it looks like rollerblading is next

I was curious to know more about this sport that seems to be gaining popularity, so I reached out to rollerblader Anton Vrieling, originally from South Africa, who’s been part of the blading scene here since he moved to Beijing in 2013. Vrieling started rollerblading when he was around eight years old and its been a big part of his life ever since.

Now, he’s recently opened up a WeChat store called Voodoo Skateshop with fellow rollerblader and friend Brani Vujanov, and he has made it his mission to promote rollerblading within China and beyond.

Q

Hi Anton. How did you become involved in the rollerblade scene in China?

A

Hi, Katie. First of all, thanks so much for taking the time to ask these questions. Well, I moved to Beijing in 2013 and have traveled to many places, but wherever I go I will always have my skates with me. Coming to China was no different.

When I first got here, I didn’t know anyone, so I hit a lot of solo sessions. It wasn’t until I reached out on Facebook, asking if anyone knew skaters in Beijing, that someone thankfully put me in touch with a few of the local guys here. As luck would have it, Colin Li, one of the local bladers, just so happened to work right across the road from where I was working at the time, so during my lunch break I would go across and meet up with him. Then we arranged a weekend session, which is where I met Xiaotian [a key figure in the blading community]. With these two people, I managed to meet the rest of the blading community in Beijing, as well as get in contact with rollerbladers all over China.

Anton prefers skating street to skate parks

Q

How have you seen the rollerblade scene in China change or grow over the years?

A

Well, globally, rollerblading took a massive hit after we were removed from the X-Games, which lead to a lot of people leaving the sport, as well as fewer folks starting it. The scene was kept alive by the core skaters, who went underground and stuck to skating street. Very few rollerbladers frequented skate parks, which lead almost everyone to believe that rollerblading died out. 

Since I’ve been over here, I have noticed more and more people getting into it, which I’ll talk about later. As far as the scene over here goes, there is a pretty strong community of rollerbladers, but due to the size of China the number of rollerbladers still seems a bit small. Again, more on that later.

Q

Have you seen the same changes in Beijing?

A

In a sense, yes, and I’d like to believe that it may have something to do with more foreign bladers coming over here. I could be very wrong though. I just enjoy seeing people from all over the world becoming friends through blading.

Skate parks have been opening up around Beijing in recent years

Q

I’ve personally noticed a lot more kids and teenagers out rollerblading or skating in the past year especially. Why do you think it has become more popular?

A

Yeah, definitely. Rollerblade sales saw a huge increase, especially at the start of Covid with folks having to go through the whole lockdown. Since people were advised not to gather in groups, people took to rollerblading for a few reasons. Some picked it up again, after not doing it for many years, and some decided to give it a try as a form of exercise. Then, even after lockdown finished, these people continued to skate and have fun. This is amazing to see because the rollerblading industry is getting more and more exposure, which is bringing even more people into the sport.

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Q

Many places cite how skateboarding became more popular after it was included as a sport at the 2016 Olympics. Do you think that rollerblading is also set to follow the same trend?

A

Personally, I don’t think skateboarding became more popular because of the Olympics. Skateboarding has always been popular. However, I do believe that it helped get skateboarding into the public eye, and to become more “socially acceptable.” Now parents are ok with their kids skateboarding, as it is seen as a mainstream sport. 

Of course, I joke a lot and tend to poke fun at skateboarding, as I’ve been around since back when there was still a heavy feud between rollerbladers and skateboarders, but times have changed. It’s cool to see that everyone now supports one another, regardless of whether or not you blade or skateboard. As for rollerblading being in the Olympics? That’s sort of a hot topic in the blading community. Some support the idea, whilst others are very much against it. For me, I’d love to see it in the Olympics, for so many reasons. 

You can find yourself some truly scenic spots to rollerblade in in the capital

Q

You recently opened up your own shop on WeChat. What do you hope to achieve with this?

A

So much! You know, the amount of positive feedback we have received has truly been amazing. Myself and Brani had no idea that it would take off so well. What do we wish to achieve? Well, for far too long there has only really been one skateshop selling skates here so they kind of held a monopoly. But I don’t want to get into the messy politics of the whole thing, as I feel that promoting any form of negativity won’t do the scene any good.

Our aim is to provide folks with products that are currently not available in China. Products that people can rely on, and know won’t fall apart after a few sessions. We want to build up the scene and shine a light on rollerblading in China. The only way we can do this is by getting the younger generation involved, more specifically, girls. I’ve seen some edits of girls tearing it up down in Shanghai, and honestly it blew my mind. This is what I want for the rest of China. These girls, some of whom are as young as nine years old, are honestly putting the guys to shame.

Currently we’re looking to sponsor riders, and we do have one rider in mind, but I really want a female rider to be our first official sponsored rider for the Voodoo Skateshop. But if not for the shop, then definitely for my own company, Basilisk. By sponsoring local riders we aim to build them up and encourage them to progress, as well as encourage others to push themselves. 

Skater Yuzi showing off his skills

We plan on hosting and sponsoring events to show the public that there is a community out here. We plan to send our sponsored riders to these events, and hopefully, one day, can send riders to international events. There’s talent here and it needs to be seen globally. We are also hoping to start skate schools across Beijing and then eventually across China too, where people of all ages and levels can come skate, and learn something new from international pros.

One day we hope to have an actual physical store, where people can come in, look at products, try on skates, etc. We’d also love to have a skate park attached to it where people can come hangout and skate. Everything that we have planned for Voodoo is all about building the scene in China and shining a spotlight on it. With the amount of feedback we have received so far, I truly believe that this will become a reality very soon.

It's all about that grind...

Q

Do you have any advice for someone who wants to start skating or rollerblading, or for someone who already does but wants to get involved in the Beijing scene?

A

Advice for those who would like to start … just start! Give it a try. I promise you will have fun and will make some amazing friends along the way. Come meet some of the guys and ask them for advice. Never be discouraged by someone who is skating at a higher level than yourself. Be inspired, and challenge yourself to reach that level. You will have good days and you will have bad days, but it will be one of the most rewarding things you’ll ever experience.

Advice for those who already skate and would like to be involved in the scene…head out as often as you can and go to a skate park. I’m sure there will be a couple of bladers there. Join the Voodoo Skateshop WeChat group (scan the QR code below) so you can be kept up to date with what’s happening, along with seeing what products we will be bringing in. Speaking of which, there will be a competition in Guangzhou at the end of November, so there’s a good place for those looking to start, or to get involved in the scene. Thanks so much for taking the time to ask me these questions. Keep it Roll!

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Images: Anton Vrieling, Uni You, 鸣影绘 featuring Skater Yuzi

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