Surfing on a wave of ingenuity in a land of innovation

In the eyes of the world, China still needs to develop, but this obscures a range of ingenuities cooked up in restaurants, bathrooms, on streets and beaches across the country.

As a die-hard surfer whose car is perennially sandy, I was struck by a simple innovation some time ago in the seaside town of Beidaihe that could help keep my ride squeaky clean if only it were exported to Australia.

After emerging from the sea, Bohai Sea bathers step into a hollowed out, water-filled ditch at the foot of some stairs leading from the beach. Here, the sand is washed off in an instant, eliminating the need to waste water and stand in line at a tap.