From political pressure to cultural constraints: The prime dissemination of surfing in Hainan
Résumé
In the late 2000s, Hainan Island started to become popular for Chinese tourists. The political strategy of the state is to promote the island as a luxury destination of international stature—a “Chinese Hawaii.” This has raised the issue of political pressure to develop a type of place which logic resumes many ideas and ways imported from outside. Looking at the particular case of surfing in Hainan, a recent sport in China, this article analyzes how the locals assume such a practice. The main question is: Is the political pressure—wishing to develop surf sports—confronted with social and cultural constraints (like body representation and the image of sun tanning)?