Top wingsuit flyer sails carefully into success

To bring the sport to more Chinese audiences, Zhang readily promotes himself on different social media platforms by uploading his freefall videos and wide-angle photos, which usually receive mixed responses from netizens. Some hold the belief that his move is irresponsible to his own life and his family.

Zhang said he was already used to living with negative comments and doesn't let them influence him. Actually, his first impression of wingsuit flying was quite like everyone else, deeming it a "madman sport". His family was also concerned for his safety. "But they later came to realize that I'm training scientifically, following strict rules and winning titles," he said. "Now, they neither agree nor object to my choice."

"I still hope people can view the sport objectively and correctly. It is not as dangerous as what people have said online. I'm working hard bit by bit to change the opinions of those around me on the sport," Zhang said.

Stereotypes of wingsuit flying still dominate the public, and many label the sport as a suicidal attempt with a death rate of 30 percent, an outdated figure of the sport's early time. "Due to immature flying techniques and primitive facilities, accidents did happen frequently when the sport was first invented," Zhang said. "A recent survey showed its death rate is around 0.5 percent now."

It's understandable the masses adopt different value standards for "danger" and show various degrees of tolerance toward extreme sports, while voices from high-risk aerial sports players may offer a brand-new idea for thought. In Zhang's eyes, amusement park rides seem much more dangerous.

According to him, roller coasters, drop towers and terrifying rope swings on cliffs, for example, are uncontrollable for participants, who could find no way out and are firmly tied to a machine they don't understand. But wingsuit flying is under the control of a pilot such as Zhang — with flying postures, direction adjustment and a familiar flying path — which he thinks can ensure his safety.

For most people, the glorious bird's-eye view comes along with the sport's deadly nature. Zhang Shupeng takes the sport as a passion that he can strive for in life without having to persist. "I'm far from 'persistent' in doing this sport, which seems like a relatively painful stage," he said.

"I still love the sport very much, and I am willing to do it," the pilot added. "Any regrets? Why? Never."

The seasoned flyer has profound reverence for the sport despite jumping off the cliffs of Tianmen Mountain thousands of times. Before soaring into the air, he is usually surround by onlookers, but the only thing he focuses on is the details of flying. Zhang also looks back on his flying videos for improvement. For the pilot, this career needs prudence to deal with extreme circumstances, so he isn't in it merely for thrills.

Zhang lives a well-planned life. "I can't tell you my short-term aim now," he said. "But I might divide my life into five or more stages and set a clear and specific goal for each stage." His first stage in life involved paragliding, and his second is focused on wingsuit flying.

He is proving to the world that Chinese people can shine in the extreme sports field.

"I think one must seek something meaningful beyond one's own life. It could be a cause, a job or a sport," Zhang said. "This is how you can widen your life."