'Sportcation' enthusiasts find place in the sun

The end of summer

In 2025, Wanning received 9.78 million tourists, generating 9.23 billion yuan in tourism revenue, according to government data.

About 70 percent of the visitors were young people, and roughly 70 percent participated in sports tourism.

For visitors such as Fang Fang from Beijing, who spent a month in Wanning, the coastal area was not simply a playground.

It offered her a chance to reflect on a healthier lifestyle and diet.

She was soon discussing the glycemic index of different foods with new friends, and eating protein before carbs, both medical recommendations to lower blood sugar spikes.

Fang also switched from evening workouts — which she said kept her awake — to morning sessions that reset her circadian rhythm.

After she returned to Beijing, she maintained the healthy habits she had cultivated in Wanning. Fitness had gone from being optional to essential.

Fang said in a laboratory "experiments fail all the time", but sports are different. "As long as you move, you see changes — in your body, in your mental state," she said.

Many of her graduate-school peers have only two stress outlets. "Either they're sports people, or they're heavy drinkers," she said, adding everyone needs a way to release pressure.

But not everyone is pleased with the influx of people to Wanning in search of sun and sports.

Some of the true "old surfers" have started to leave.

Seven years ago, before the COVID-19 pandemic, when freelance writer Chen Haiping arrived at Riyue Bay, it was pristine and low-key with only a few surfer guesthouses, he said.

"There weren't as many people, and it felt like a hermit's paradise," he said.

"Now, it has become more standardized, industrialized, but also commercialized. Most of my group, who truly embraced surfing as a lifestyle, have gradually left. They've moved to more remote bay areas around the world."

Chen said Wanning is neither a utopia nor a paradise to escape reality.

There are many real issues to deal with: rent does not match income, the cost of living is higher than expected, many things depend on transportation, and even fuel prices are higher because Hainan is an island.

"I have a deep affection for Wanning. Today, people seem to be flocking there as if heading to a carnival. I hope that after the excitement, people won't abandon it once they've had their fill."

Contact the writers at masi@chinadaily.com.cn