Bai Yifan is seen in his 'snowboard universe' in Shanghai. (Xinhua)
A Chinese vlogger realized his dream of creating a 'snowboard universe' in Shanghai, a place with almost no snow.
SHANGHAI, May 3 (Xinhua) -- In the first winter after the Beijing Winter Olympics, Bai Yifan finally realized his dream of creating a 'snowboard universe' in Shanghai, where it rarely snows.
Bai took up snowboarding at the age of 22 in France's Grenoble, which hosted the Winter Olympics in 1968.
"I chose snowboarding instead of skiing because I saw a snowboard imprinted with the image of my favorite band," Bai recalled.
From then on, Bai started his snowboarding journey. He visited many Winter Olympic host cities but never imagined that the Winter Olympics would come to China so soon.
Nowadays, Bai has become a snowboarding vlogger using his English name, Billy Blanc, sharing personal snowboarding experiences, professional knowledge, and equipment assessments in his vlogs.
"Anyone who has watched my videos would know that I am dedicated to sharing the knowledge and culture of snowboarding," said Bai.
But Bai's ultimate hobby is collecting various historical snowboarding items. He established a studio near the Huangpu River, home to around 500 snowboards and a place to share more stories of snowboarding with the community.
"I hope one day I can have everything related to snowboarding culture here. The items assembled here used to be in my personal collection, but now they have been put on public display," he said.
For Bai, the most precious one is a snowboard with almost all the signatures of the Beijing 2022 snowboarding champions on it.
"I think it has become a heritage representing the spirit of the Beijing Winter Olympics," Bai noted.
The second floor of the studio is a place for displaying the history of snowboarding. Bai regarded the period from around 1977 to 1986 as a key stage for the development of the sport.
"Initially, snowboard was known as a toy derived from surfing and skateboarding, but during that period, the sport became more competitive while some snowboarders were named performers," he pointed out.
Despite a lack of snow in Shanghai, Bai has created a 'snowboard universe' in this metropolis, which he believes has the essence of sports - inclusiveness.
"Some people might say Shanghai seldom snows. They may be somewhat surprised to see such a snowboarding space here."
"But this is Shanghai. There are so many energetic people trying various popular sports. So, I believe that although snowboarding originated from rural hills, its unique character and fashion sense chimes perfectly with the urban spirit," he added. ■