Surfing China Information

Surfing China was founded by Orange County, CA-based Gerard Sports Marketing (GSM) and Wabsono International Co., Ltd., a privately held company based in Hangzhou, China. On September 18, 2008, GSM/Wabsono signed a five year exclusive rights deal with the City of Hangzhou to develop a surfing exhibition and festival on the Qiantang River. The Qiantang River creates the world’s largest tidal bore, a long breaking wave known as the Silver Dragon. The tidal bore happens during the spring tide with every full moon, but it is strongest in the fall, when an annual Wave Watching Festival is held on the 18th day of the 8th month in the Chinese calendar. The festival can attract a crowd of several hundred thousand viewers and has been celebrated for hundreds of years. In fact, observations of the regular occurrence of the Silver Dragon produced the oldest known tide table in 1056 AD to help tourists arrive in time to see the fast-moving wave. According to the GSM/Wabsono agreement with the City of Hangzhou, the group was awarded exclusive rights for surfing on the Qiantang River. GSM and Wabsono successfully held its first Hangzhou Qiantang River Surfing Contest in 2008 and Wabsono and Surfing China continue to bring the world’s best surfers to China for the event each year. As a result of this effort, the sport of surfing has taken hold in China and the Chinese now have a national surf team that participates in International Surfing Association events. The Island of Hainan, also, is now a stop on the world pro surfing tour. Hainan is an island province of China and the nation’s southernmost point. Prior to world pro surfing's arrival, and as a follow up to the Surfing Festival on the Quintang River, GSM and Wabsono sponsored the Hainan Open Surfing Contest in 2009. The creator of the Surfing Hainan Open is Brendan Sheridan.