Paragliding, Flying in Shenzhen

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Contributed by Daniel Montejo
So maybe you’ve been to every bar in the city and are looking for something different to keep your mind off of whatever it is that keeps you going. Well, what you probably do not know is that you can go paragliding less than two hours away from the city! Here’s a one-day adventure you might really enjoy and might just become a passion you will endure the rest of your life.

“Umm…what is this paragliding thing you are talking about?” –you might say. Many think of it as skydiving, hang gliding or even parasailing; but it’s neither one of the previous. Paragliding is actually hang gliding’s cousin, perhaps a hybrid demonstrating a hang glider’s gliding and soaring capabilities put together in a similar shape as a skydiving parachute. You might have seen some paragliders already in Shenzhen by the ‘Bing Hai Da Dao’ on a breezy sunny afternoon as pilots go there and practice their ground skills.

A paraglider actually flies, it does not just fall. If the weather is right, world record champions have flown for more than 13 hours managing to devour distances of over 300km. To take off on a paraglider, a pilot basically selects a day with ideal meteorological conditions, the right mountain, and simply runs down the hill as the wing lifts up above his or her head. The glider then carries the person into the air soaring along cliffs, thermaling above high mountain peaks and finally landing either on a peaceful beach, by a winding river or simply enough, on a field. Here’s an experience you will have trouble forgetting.

The first thing on people’s minds is safety. Is this thing dangerous? Do you have the guts for it? The feeling you get when flying on a paraglider is nothing like skydiving or bungee jumping. Although professional acrobatic pilots can make it an interesting ride, a casual paragliding flight is as tranquil and melodious as the wind that flows through one’s ears when in the air. As far as safety, when done properly, the risks are probably much lower than getting on a taxi cab across town on a Friday night.

In Shenzhen, there is a quite active paragliding community. There are a few flying sites near the city where A Qiang, a Chinese professional certified paragliding instructor, offers not only courses to anyone who wishes to learn the art of flying, but also gives anyone the chance to fly with him on a tandem (a bigger paraglider with two harnesses). During a tandem flight, the passenger gets to sit back, relax, and enjoy not only the experience of flying but also a magnificent ocean and mountain view. If you have been craving for an encounter with nature and a trying something different, this might just be it.

I think I like it, now what?
All you have to do is call A Qiang to set up the right day and he will take you flying for a very reasonable price of 500RMB. The price includes the transportation from the paragliding club in Futian to the flying site and back to the club, the flight (he will give you a helmet) and even lunch! Just to give you an idea, if you are thinking you can do this back in Europe or in the US, tandems can soar high at prices over 120USD, so it might not be a bad idea to give it a try here in China! Have a nice flight!

Contact Info:
Chinese (Mandarin)
A Qiang: 13316876560

English/Spanish/French
Daniel: 13554708057

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