In the world of surfing, and especially the business of surfing, China is the great untapped market. Although it has only a relatively small coastline open to swell it's the sheer number of people that has surfing administrators delighted. Almost thirty years after Peter Drouyn first took surfing behind the bamboo curtain it finally appears to be catching a foothold. Even if local surfers are slow on the uptake businessmen and dignitaries are closely eyeing the potential.

This week the China Cup is being run by the International Surfing Association at Wanning on Hainan Island, while next week the ASP will hold the 4-star Hainan Classic, also at Hainan Island. A large island south in the South China Sea, Hainan is open to north-east monsoon-generated swell and also the odd typhoon-generated swells that slip between the Philippines and Taiwan.

These photos are taken at Riyue Bay, site of the China Cup, before the competition began. They show the potential of the joint as a high performance wave. There's also the odd opening ceremony photo showing the spectacle and pagentry the Chinese bring to the sport. Sure beats an open bar at the local surf club.

(All but the last photo by ISA/Watts. The last photo - make sure you check that one out! - of the next bay down from the competition site by Tim Budong)