East China
East China surf travel guide
East China represents more than half of the Republic's Pacific shoreline and has been the slowest to adopt modern surfing into their ancient culture, despite riding waves here as far back as the 8th century. Outside of a few hotspots, this immense coastline offers chances of empty, quality surf for those willing to get lost around fish farms, industrial ports, and bustling towns. Winter NE swells in the 2–6ft range are nearly constant from November to April, but summer flat spells can be long. Tide ranges are huge (up to 7m in Zhejiang), and the coast is often industrialised, with large amounts of plastic waste or algae blooms.
Shandong Province
Qingdao, the northern city of Shandong province, exhibits its German colonial past via its architecture and breweries. These days, an ever-growing number of locals enjoy the shifty sandbanks of Shilaoren Beach, a south-facing bay extracting the best from typhoon action and southerly windswells. Summer is hugely popular with swimmers and beach goers becoming a hazard, both here and down the coast at Golden Sands Beach, which does pick up NE swell. Northern water temperatures drop drastically in wintertime, bottoming out at 4ºC, requiring some serious rubber for a few months.
Zhejiang Province
The Zhejiang coast is shallow, marshy and muddy down to Hangzhou Bay, making it scarcely populated (surf-wise) with the exception of Nangsha Beach on Zhujia Island. The 100km wide Hangzhou Bay, is home to the mega-cities of Shanghai, Hangzhou and Ningbo. As the bay compresses the 8.93m tides, the world's biggest tidal bore appears on the Qiantang River, surging up to 4m high and producing rides up to 90mins. Known as the 'Silver Dragon', it was the home of the yearly RedBull Shootout, but with many spectators lives lost every year, access is strictly forbidden with heavy fines imposed on those caught entering the water. Outside the bay, the Zhoushan archipelago offers a choice of low quality N and S-facing polluted beachbreak on the island of Shengsi or cleaner summer peaks on Zhujia Island. Heading south the unexplored coast is increasingly exposed to Pacific NE-E swell, down to the more consistent waves of Fujian Province.
Fujian Province
NE-E swells hit a number of expert reefbreaks around Junshan village and the South Bay beside Pingtan's main sandy beach has high tide quality rides. Fujian Province is 'terra incognita' boasting hundreds of kilometres of promising, untapped coast behind Taiwan. Wujiao Bay, on Dongshan Island also has good exposure to S and NE swell offering punchy beachbreak by the jetty and more windy, exposed beaches at Jinluan and Maluan where the kiters go. Another 200kms of SE-facing beachbreaks leads to subtropical Guangdong.
Surf spots in East China
Research the 14 surf breaks in East China and discover what spots suit the current conditions.
Break lowdown
We’ve collated the wave data giving you a unique insight into the 14 breaks in East China.
Library
Helpful surf travel videos and articles featuring East China.
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Visas
Long term visas are complicated to get, expensive and vary quite a bit from country to country. As of 2025, 59 nations enjoy a 15 days visa on arrival policy. They include Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Brazil. These policies can change quite often so get informed before booking your flight.
Although part of China, the former English colony has its own visa policy. Nationals of about 170 countries and territories may visit Hong Kong without a visa/entry permit for a period ranging from 7 days to 180 days.
Getting There
Shanghai, Hangzhou and Ningbo airports are the main international hubs in Zhejiang province. Fujian is also served by a number of airports with Xiamen and Fuzhou being the closest to the surf areas. Qingdao airport is efficiently connected to the city centre by speed train and taxis.
Getting Around
Driving without a Chinese license is not allowed so you will have to rely on taxis or local car+driver services to move around. Boards are not allowed on trains, but are commonly accepted (under 7ft) in taxis. With the exception of Qingdao, where you can rent a hotel room or Airbnb at walkable distance from Shilaoren beach, moving between spots can be difficult without a knowledgeable local person taking you around.
Accommodation
Plenty of options in Qingdao (Shandong province) with Holiday Inn and Four Points offering rooms starting at $40/n. Same price range for Shengsi and Zhujia (Zhejiang province), Pingtan and Fuzhou (Fujian) with plenty of options available on CTrip booking app, the most widely-used in China. Things get a bit more complicated in remote spots like Houcai Bay and Liu’ao Bay where you will need local support to find suitable home-stays in the small village.
Activities
Plenty to do in Qingdao including visiting the German colonial district, taking a cable car to Laoshan scenic area, or visiting the Chinese naval museum. Visiting Zhejiang’s capital Hangzhou, renamed the Chinese Silicon Valley, is a must with a chance to witness the tidal bore from the futuristic City Balconade or from a 12th century pagoda in Hainin municipality. In Fujian the main attractions would include the waterfront skyline in Xiamen, the characteristic walled houses of the Hakka minority in south Fujian and the Wulong and White Tea plantations in Wuyi mountain and Fuding.
Hazards & hassles
Water can be polluted close to major ports. Tides are quite large so expect serious rips and currents at low tide. Other than that, these areas are extremely safe, including the smallest villages.
Handy Hints
Bring your own surf gear including wax and enough rubber to keep you warm in the chilly winter NE wind. Locals are friendly, make friends in the known surf hubs and follow the locals to more remote spots.
Due to global pandemic, Visas, Getting There, Getting Around or Accommodation information and pricing may have changed. Always check Government Travel Advice before travelling.