Few cities in China allow you to sail straight from the heart of downtown. From the docks of the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Centre, you can cast off and ride the wind across Fushan Bay, with the CBD’s high-rises looming behind you — a geographical quirk that sets it apart from nearly all other coastal destinations.Built for the 2008 Beijing Olympics sailing competition, the centre is a source of pride for Qingdao native Zheng Yi, whose dream also set sail there.In the spring of 2006, the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race fleet made its first-ever stop in China, docking in Qingdao, Shandong province.A grand send-off ceremony packed with crowds and the beat of drums and gongs was held near the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Centre.The Qingdao Olympic Sailing Centre’s role as a tourist destination has expanded significantly, receiving over 130,000 sailing tourists each year (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)It was there that 10-year-old Zheng, on a family spring outing, happened to witness the scene, watching the big boat bearing the name Qingdao, the first Clipper yacht ever named after a Chinese city, sail out of the harbour.Among the crew was Guo Chuan, the first Qingdao native to compete in the Clipper race.“That moment planted a seed in my heart: I want to become a sailor, too, representing my hometown and sailing across the oceans,” Zheng recalls.Fortunately, the following year, while in the fifth grade, Zheng was selected, simply because he could swim, for a 10-day summer camp organised by the city’s “Sailing into Schools” initiative.During the camp, he lived and trained with other elementary school students from across the city, learning to sail OP dinghies every day.“There seemed to be hundreds of sailboats sailing on the water at the same time. It was a spectacular scene,” he recalls.“Qingdao’s sailing atmosphere at the time gave ordinary kids like us the chance to get involved in this sport.”When the 2008 Beijing Olympics torch relay reached the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Centre, 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 harbour.“That was the first time I realised 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 Centre.Xin Kejiang, deputy director of the water sports development and promotion department at the Qingdao Sports Development Centre, notes that the public sailing experience events hosted at the centre are always well received. In a recent release of 500 spots, all were fully booked overnight.He adds that while the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Centre continues to serve as a training ground for primary and secondary school students, as well as local university sailing clubs, its tourism function has grown significantly in recent years, offering catamaran and monohull sailing experiences for both adults and children.The centre now receives more than 130,000 sailing tourists annually.For Xu Xiaoxiao, a visitor from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, opting for the more stable catamaran experience during her trip in early August turned out to be a highlight of her visit to Qingdao.“Lying on the deck of the sailboat at dusk, watching the sunset glow over the skyscrapers onshore as the boat gently rocks with the swell, not too rough, just the right amount, is incredibly therapeutic,” she says.