Johnny Tang gives a tour of Shanghai, the megacity he calls one giant skatepark. — China's reputation, especially of late, is often overshadowed by censorship and state control. But it's also the site of a flourishing new skate scene. Huck explores these two disconnected worlds through the eyes of Shanghai-based pro skater Johnny Tang.

When Johnny Tang first moved to China his mum told him there were only “dirt roads and horses” to try and suppress his desire to skate – a pretty non-traditional pastime for a grown man in Shanghai. But what Johnny Tang found instead was a giant skatepark.

We travel to Shanghai to meet Johnny and find out what skating looks like in an authoritarian state — in our latest video in collaboration with Levi’s Skateboarding, to celebrate The Skateboarding Special II – stories of independence in skateboarding worldwide – .

You can read more about the nascent scene in this story  by Charlotte Middlehurst, originally printed in The Skateboarding Special II itself.

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