Curious Chinese crowds, anxious athletes, and hilarious hairstyles flocked to Shanghai for the first stop on the 2001 tour schedule.

You might wonder how traveling through China is for Americans. As far as we could tell, these sports somehow make us forget that religion, politics, or culture ever divide us. about all those things that normally divide us. Guest pro athletes Sasha, Azikwee, and Mark Owen were treated like GODS and spectators were fascinated by the course, even when the staff was just hanging banners!

The first thing someone told me about Shanghai was that it was a lot like Hong Kong. If that doesn't help you don't' worry, I've only seen the Hong Kong airport. Unlike the very "westernized" Hong Kong, which was not always part of China, Shanghai has always been part of the people's republic of China. Shanghai isn't the international trade capital that Hong Kong is, but it's catching up quickly! As the most modern city in China, Shanghai is racing to meet western standards of "modern". New business and apartment buildings are emerging everywhere, efforts to conserve energy cause commercial centers to shut their lights off at 11pm, and fashion conscious trend-setting teens multiple daily.

One such trend settle graced our presence with a mullet that might even be better than Shane McConkey's mullet wig at the Action Sports and Music Awards show! I'm used to seeing this hairstyle in South Dakota, not China! I hope the new measure of modernity is not McDonalds and mullets!

Chinese athletes showed up 'enforce for their shot to qualifying for the 2002 Asian X Games Qualifier presented by Toyota. These tour stops give athletes the chance to test their skills against the best in their country! The AXQ will be held late next January in Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia. In Malaysia, athletes will compete for a spot in their specific sport discipline to the 2002 summer X Games as well as the X Games Global Challenge to be held in November of 2002.

Not everyone could qualify for KL, but everyone left knowing how he or she matched up to the best skaters in China! As well as, what it felt like to be in a pro comp.

Next stop: Bangkok! The land of hellishly hot foods and heavenly warm beaches! See you there!

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