Few cities in China allow you to sail straight from the heart of downtown. From the docks of the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center, you can cast off and ride the wind across Fushan Bay, with the CBD's high-rises looming behind you — a geographical quirk that sets it apart from nearly all other coastal destinations.
Built for the 2008 Beijing Olympics sailing competition, the center is a source of pride for Qingdao native Zheng Yi, whose dream also set sail there.
In the spring of 2006, the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race fleet made its first-ever stop in China, docking in Qingdao, Shandong province.
A grand send-off ceremony packed with crowds and the beat of drums and gongs was held near the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center.
It was there that 10-year-old Zheng, on a family spring outing, happened to witness the scene, watching the big boat bearing the name Qingdao, the first Clipper yacht ever named after a Chinese city, sail out of the harbor.
Among the crew was Guo Chuan, the first Qingdao native to compete in the Clipper race.
"That moment planted a seed in my heart: I want to become a sailor, too, representing my hometown and sailing across the oceans," Zheng recalls.
Fortunately, the following year, while in the fifth grade, Zheng was selected, simply because he could swim, for a 10-day summer camp organized by the city's "Sailing into Schools" initiative.
During the camp, he lived and trained with other elementary school students from across the city, learning to sail OP dinghies every day.
"There seemed to be hundreds of sailboats sailing on the water at the same time. It was a spectacular scene," he recalls.
"Qingdao's sailing atmosphere at the time gave ordinary kids like us the chance to get involved in this sport."
