Gliding into unknown territory

"After you jump from an aircraft and fly through the sky like a bird, your pressure and depression will immediately vanish. And it offers you a new perspective to understand your life and observe the world," says Xu.

For Xu, wingsuit flying is more about attitude than a lifestyle. He wishes more people could experience its pleasure.

More people have joined this sport recently. About 3,000 people do low-altitude wingsuit flying globally, and the number is growing in China.

Wingsuit flying, which first began in the late 1990s, grew from extreme skydiving.

A wingsuit adds surface area to the human body to enable a significant increase in lift in order to help the flyer soar 3 meters forward when falling 1 meter. A flyer can sail from any point that provides sufficient altitude, typically a high building, tower, bridge, cliff or aircraft.

The unpowered flight has a forward speed of 200 kilometers per hour and a falling speed of 50 kph.

The ups and downs of life enticed Xu to develop a connection with the sport.

Xu was born and raised in Changchun, capital of Northeast China's Jilin province, in 1972. Xu went to Guangzhou to start a business after graduating from college.

But his partner suddenly fell ill. Xu, then 30, was deeply affected by the news and finally decided to close the business and move to Beijing.

From 2002, Xu tried cycling, shooting, sailing, diving and skydiving to fulfill his childhood dreams. But he finally settled on skydiving. And under Zhang Angang, the former national head coach, Xu completed his training in skydiving in 2005.