Sponsored by Aero Sports Federation of China (ASFC) and operated by Beijing Aeroon Sports Co., Ltd, the annual China Balloon Tournament is China’s most important ballooning event. Twenty-seven teams participated in the 2nd China Balloon Tournament in 2008.

Balloonists prepare to land at the main venue of Jilin International Balloon Elite Invitation Contest and National Balloon Championship.

Xie Jun (right), CEO of Beijing Aeroon Sports Co., Ltd, and a well known sports marketing expert, congratulates Zuo Dan, who just won the golden key at the 2008 Saga International Balloon Fiesta Japan and the 24th Pacific Cup.

Prepping for a flight.

International visitors set off for an airborne tour above the resort town of Yangshuo, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Spring will not be the only thing in the air this May in Miyun County, Beijing. Floating along with the warming air currents will be colorful hot air balloons, intriguing and exciting young and old alike. In July, the Beijing leg of the 3rd China Balloon Tournament will be held in Miyun, and the hot air balloonist clubs in Beijing are gearing up for competition and camaraderie.

For thousands of years, human beings have dreamed of flight. Originally a technological innovation, the hot air balloon developed into one of the most popular sporting pursuits in the world. Some refer to this airborne activity as a sport close to the dream of flying.

Wingless Flight

“If you have never been aboard a hot air balloon, you can’t understand how fantastic it is,” said Zuo Dan, a top-ranked balloonist, and the runner-up of the 2008 Saga International Balloon Fiesta Japan and the 24th Pacific Cup. “When I drift up there in the gondola, I feel humans are so humble compared to nature. But humans are wise enough to fly without wings.”

Zuo Dan, 27, was once a taxi driver, and he was often fined by policemen for excessive speed. “I had hoped I could be a pilot one day so that policeman would no longer supervise me. I got to know about hot air ballooning by chance and went crazy for it.” In 2002, after a course of study with the Beijing Flying Balloon Club, Zuo was granted his hot air balloon license and became the youngest balloonist of the Aero Sports Federation of China. At the age of 20, Zuo won 8th place at the Qingdao International Hot Air Balloon Festival, with 58 teams from 18 countries participating. He was the youngest balloonist in China to achieve such a high ranking.

“Hot air ballooning is a sport of romance and entertainment. You keep pace with the wind, so you will feel stable, even more so than if you are in an elevator. Blue skies, white clouds … you feel really free. Sometimes, we do low-level flying. We glide over lakes and trees. When we fly over farmland, the farmers will stop working to wave and smile at us. In cities, office workers in skyscrapers are always surprised when we drift by. We can even see clearly their expressions of astonishment. These are things you can’t do in other aircraft,” Zuo explains to this reporter.

Today, Zuo Dan and his friend run a company in the resort town of Yangshuo, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, providing balloon tours for visitors from home and abroad. “Most of the passengers are photography fans. Boarding a balloon, the visitors can enjoy a real bird’s-eye view of Yangshuo. They cannot help but cry out in joy. I know what a surprise it is for them, not only the beautiful landscape of Yangshuo, but also the experience of riding in a balloon. In this way, I can both promote hot air ballooning and make money. It makes me happy to combine my career and hobby.”

From the Ground Up

“It is awesome and fantastic,” exclaimed Xun Xiaokun, a white collar worker who just experienced a balloon tour. “At first, I was afraid. I hadn’t thought it would be so stable. Excitement overcame the fear. I was so excited that I shouted out to the sky. It is an explosion of primordial instinct. The trip left me with a deep understanding of the mountains, rivers and cities, which I never gained from geographical books.”

In China, modern ballooning essentially dates back to 1982, when the late Malcolm S. Forbes, former president of Forbes, brought a hot air balloon to China and Chinese people for the first time experienced the charm of the sport. For the deep love for ballooning and his desire to popularize it, Forbes decided to sponsor two Chinese citizens, enabling them to study ballooning in France. In 1985, China developed and made its first hot air balloon and began to send balloonists to take part in international contests. After 20 years of development, the sport has made much progress. Particularly in recent years, hot air balloon competitions and commercial performances are held regularly. Today, in China there are about 400 hot air balloons, over 400 licensed pilots and over 20 balloon clubs. Sponsored by Aero Sports Federation of China (ASFC) and operated by Beijing Aeroon Sports Co., Ltd, the annual China Balloon Tournament has become the most important ballooning event in China.

“Hot air ballooning combines technology with wisdom. It applies the physics theory that air swells under heat and makes a balloon rise. Modern ballooning employs more technology, such as with GPS, hi-tech altimeters and compass. Those who achieve great success at international hot air balloon contests are typically in their fifties or sixties. So the sport may not require much strength and energy, but more experience and wisdom. A top pilot must have a profound understanding of wind, balloon and nature,” says Xie Jun, CEO of Beijing Aeroon Sports Co., Ltd, and a well known sports marketing expert.

China’s hot air ballooning has made rapid development, but with 40,000 balloons around the world, the fact that China has only about 400 balloons reveals that development is still in a preliminary phase. And people have limited knowledge of the sport and aircraft. Most interviewees of this reporter associated hot air ballooning with only commercial performances, birthdays and wedding celebrations.

As for the popularization of hot air ballooning, Xie has his own idea. “If I have to predict the prospects for hot air ballooning, I would say the future is bright, but the route is up and down,” says Xie. “Most Chinese people are busy. To some degree, they lack a leisure and entertainment mindset. And when they do have leisure time, they will typically choose travelling or cultural entertainment, like going to the movies and reading books. Sports amusements are not so popular, especially new and fashionable sports like hot air ballooning,” he says. “If China’s hot air ballooning wants to stand in comparison to Japan, the United States or European countries, it still has a long way to go. But an increasing number of enterprises are recognizing the great commercial value. Almost all of the world’s top 500 enterprises sponsor a balloon team. It will no doubt help the promotion of hot air ballooning. Plus, with its comfort and carefree nature, I believe a rise in popularity is inevitable.”