Xiao Jiaying soared through the air, her board spinning beneath her like an extension of her own body. The late afternoon sun cast her silhouete against the sky as she landed the trick with effortless precision. The skatepark exploded with cheers. It wasn’t the first time she had blown minds, and it sure as hell wouldn’t be the last.
She rocked her signature loose fiting red silk Chinese shirt, slightly frayed at the edges. Her baggy jeans, intentionally unbuttoned, sagged just enough to show off the waistband of her men’s boxers because why the hell not? Her beatup Nikes had seen better days, but she wasn’t about to trade them in. Wind constantly messed up her hair, but that just made her look even cooler.
One of the guys whistled as she rolled to a stop. “Dude, that was totally rad!”
She smirked, biting down on the bamboo stick she always had in her mouth. “No duh. You expect anything less?”
Laughter rippled through the crew. They all knew the deal no one in Chinatown shredded like Xiao Jiaying, the skater panda who didn’t give a damn about rules or labels.
The neighborhood oozed 80s vibes. Neon signs buzzed in Mandarin, blending in with posters of Back to the Future and E.T. slapped onto shop windows. A kid sat on the curb, twisting a Rubik’s Cube like his life depended on it, while a group of teens hovered around an arcade machine, cursing at the flashing GAME OVER screen. A boombox blasted Take on Me from a nearby storefront, mixing with the steady clatter of skateboard wheels against the pavement.
But skating wasn’t just a hobby it was a way of life. When night fell and Chinatown lit up in electric blues and reds and the classic red lantenrs every China town have on every corner, Xiao hit the streets. She bombed down stair sets, popped ollies over parked cars, and carved through alleys so narrow most people wouldn’t even walk through them. It wasn’t just about the thril okay, maybe a little but mostly, it was about proving she could be whoever the hell she wanted.
That was Xiao Jiaying. Badass, untouchable, and totally gnarly.
