Qingdao's shores make dreams come true

When the 2008 Beijing Olympics torch relay reached the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center, Zheng joined other young sailors in a flotilla of small dinghies, serving as a backdrop fleet as they witnessed the torch being passed through the harbor.

"That was the first time I realized how big the stage for sailing really is; it can take you far," Zheng says.

And he went far.

In the 2017/18 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, Zheng was selected as an ambassador crew member aboard Qingdao, competing in the first leg of the season — a journey from Liverpool, the United Kingdom, to Punta del Este, Uruguay.

In 2019, as the youngest Chinese sailor in the fleet, he took part in the 2019/20 Clipper Race, racing all eight legs of the global circuit for the first time.

"Circumnavigating the globe taught me little by little how to communicate, collaborate and connect with sailors from different countries. It not only improved my language skills but also helped me stay emotionally steady in the face of uncertainty," he says.

Now racing for China One Ningbo, Zheng has come a long way — from a wide-eyed 10-year-old staring up at sailboats from the dock to a professional sailor competing regularly on the international stage.

Since the "Sailing into Schools" program's initiation in 2006, the city has trained approximately 45,000 young sailors, according to the Qingdao Sports Development Center.

Zheng observes that, for the most part, children in Qingdao have no fear of the sea.

"Growing up alongside the sea, eating seafood, and spending days by the shore give Qingdao kids a natural bond with the ocean," he says.

"There's no barrier, no fear. It's in our bones: we love the water, and we're not afraid to take risks."