Xie Yalan dived in a mermaid suit. Courtesy of respondents
Changsha, June 17 (Reporter Tang Xiaoqing) Zhu Yali, 32 years old this year, is an employee of a liquor company in Hunan, on the 17th, she came to Changsha Tianxin District a swimming field "mermaid" class. Put on a diving goggle and a bikini swimsuit, webbed and purple mermaid tail. After the duck enters the water, the dolphin kicks, rolls back, spins and lands on the ground with webbing... She followed the instructor to learn various mermaid diving moves.
"It's particularly beautiful to swim around in the water in a mermaid suit, and every woman has a fairy tale dream." Another original intention of Zhu Yali to learn mermaids is to not press the body.
Xie Yalan wore a mermaid suit and made heart-shaped gestures under the water. Courtesy of respondents
The "mermaid" is actually a kind of freediving, but uses a large and sometimes heavy artificial tail. With the help of social media, the movement has become increasingly popular and popular around the world. Since 2017, the sport has begun to explode in China.
The Chinese pioneer of the mermaid diving course is Li Dada, who uses her skills to explore the dream of becoming a mermaid, and is the first Chinese woman to hold the International Association of Professional Diving Instructors Freediving Master Training Certificate, creating the first professional underwater performance team in China.
Mermaid diving attracts many women. Courtesy of respondents
"We're going to move like a dolphin with our waists. This requires constant practice in order to swim smoothly and gracefully like a mermaid. Mermaid diving is getting hotter and has become one of the hottest trends in China. Li Dada said that the mermaid diving performance market continues to grow, boosting the number of licenses issued in China in 2018 by 40%, 8 times the world average growth rate, "Chinese women account for the largest proportion of global (mermaid) divers." ”
The International Diving School was one of the first diving institutions to introduce a standardized and systematic mermaid curriculum. Yan Xuelei, manager of the school's China region, said that the basic mermaid course only needs a swimming pool to complete all the training, and the number of domestic basic mermaid certificates after the epidemic has increased by 500%.
The Dive Feather Ocean Mermaid Training Center has more than 200 learning institutions in China, with 2,000 trainees in May this year alone. Xie Yalan, who learned to be a "mermaid", saw the vast market of the sport and chose to become the first partners of the training center in the country.
"Mermaid is a trendy project that integrates synchronized swimming, free diving, web swimming, yoga and aesthetics, presenting a state of freedom, relaxation and flowing underwater, showing unique beauty, and becoming a new underwater project that is popular with young people in recent years." Previously, it could only be studied in Sanya and Southeast Asian countries, but now it can be learned everywhere in China. Xie Yalan told reporters that the basic mermaid course is 2800 yuan, a total of 16 lessons in two days, there are theory, underwater rescue, underwater practice and other courses, students have parent-child groups, couples, children and retired elderly.
Wang Juan, 54, began studying mermaids after retirement and is the oldest student in Qingdao. "At the beginning of the practice, I was a little inferior, after all, the mermaids in my impression were exquisite and beautiful. Now I can dive 25 meters in one breath and come out without wheezing violently, and the swimming posture is the most fish-like among the students. Wang Juan wants to create a Guinness World Record for dancing underwater with many "mermaids".
The popularity of "mermaids" has also spawned new professions such as mermaid performers and mermaid coaches. Corinne Davis, head of mermaid curriculum development at the International Scuba Diving School, said in an interview with the media that they have set up mermaid diving programs in more than 3,000 diving schools around the world, and there are more than 1,000 certified instructors in China alone. "A lot of fitness and swimming coaches have started to turn to mermaid coaches, and we have set up coaching classes." Xie Yalan said that the world's largest scuba diver training organization has recently been mentoring a new generation of "mermaid" divers (in China).
Changsha Underwater World Aquarium has a group of "post-90s" mermaid performers, and Xie Yao, 27, is one of them. "Mermaid performances are repeatedly floating under the water, and in the peak tourist season, there are 8 performances a day, and each performance will stay underwater for more than 10 minutes. Professional mermaids have certain requirements for water and body, and their daily diet needs to control the amount of food. Xie Yao said that professional mermaids have attracted more and more people to join them.
"Mermaids represent beauty and mystery, and can show beauty through underwater photography, everyone yearns for it, and many male enthusiasts have joined the mermaid team." Mermaid coach Guo Lin said that the improvement of China's awareness of "national fitness" has also made mermaid diving, which can improve lung function and have a plastic effect, popular.
"Many people learn mermaids in order to increase new skills, broaden their horizons and contact higher circles, and consumption upgrades have also given people more pursuits." The star effect is also an important factor. Xie Yalan said that the rise of mermaids has led to the development of fishtail skirts and other related equipment and mermaid art photography. (End)
Source: China News Network