Wang Xiaohui, from Jiangshan, a county-level city of Quzhou in East China's Zhejiang province, crossed Qiongzhou Strait by rowing with a standup paddleboard on March 25.

The crossing took Wang five hours and covered a total of 24 kilometers.

The Qiongzhou Strait, one of the three major straits in China, is known as the "water Mount Everest" and is very difficult to cross.

The crossing distance is about 22 to 33 kilometers, and there are many uncertainties such as waves, ocean currents, and temperature changes. But just because it's so challenging, crossing the Qiongzhou Strait has become a dream for many standup paddleboarding lovers.

As a member of the Jiangshan Red Shield Rescue Team, Wang was introduced to paddleboarding during rescue training and fell in love with the sport.

In July 2022, Wang began to train on the Xujiang River to prepare for the China Paddleboard Open. Wang arrived there before 5 am every day and usually trained for more than two hours.

Wang was excited when she recently saw someone successfully crossing the Qiongzhou Strait while watching Douyin (Chinese version of TikTok).

"It was a thrilling experience that I will never forget. The waves are on average four to five meters high, and when you hit a big wave, it's like a 360-degree rotation of the paddleboard," Wang said when recalling the five-hour experience.

Wang said that this will be the most unforgettable memory in her life, and will inspire her to continue to move forward in the future.

Wang Xiaohui on her standup paddleboard. [Photo/qz123.com]