Racing into the future

To be a skater, according to Armanto, one has to be patient and learn from scratch.

"You have to learn how to fall so that you don't get hurt. And you have to learn recovery when you get hurt," she says.

The first trick Chinese skater Yang learned was ollie, where the rider with the board leaps into the air without the use of hands.

Even though it took Yang a whole year to perfect it, she felt very proud when she could manage to do it.

Yang says: "It's just a piece of wood. So, when you do the trick, people are amazed and many think you have magnet on your board.

"I enjoy the success of each new trick, and it makes me want to learn something more challenging."

Yang, who was born and raised in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi province, started to learn skateboarding 10 years ago when she just wanted to find something to ride instead of walking.

"For a bicycle, you have to find a place to lock it, and for roller skating you have to carry the shoes all the time. I think the skateboard is the perfect device for transportation on the road," says Yang.

"Also, earlier, when I had short hair and dressed like a tomboy, I used to worry about what people thought of me, but ever since I began skateboarding, I don't care that much, and think people see me as cool."

Yang took part in her first competition in 2012 in Xi'an, after four years of practice.

"Then there was no women's group at the competition because female skaters were so few, so I had to compete with men," says Yang.

She set herself a goal of jumping off six steps in that competition, but couldn't make in the last minute.

"I was pretty much the worst in that competition, while all the male skaters were busy 'flying' around," says Yang.