Coconut craze

Climbing trees to harvest coconuts started as a traditional activity in Hainan and later evolved into competitions.

In 2010, it became an official event at the Hainan Provincial Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities.

At the recent national traditional games, it was one of the most popular events on social media. Many people said they couldn't believe there was a national tree-climbing event, which was so much fun to watch.

Born in Hainan's Ledong Li autonomous county, Luo grew up in a home surrounded by coconut trees. From the age of 9, he often climbed the trees to get coconuts, especially when he was thirsty, he said.

Despite occasionally being chased and shouted at by his parents, Luo honed his climbing skills. One particularly tall tree, nearly 15 meters high, was a favorite. "I was mischievous and fearless," he said.

But safety concerns led his father to cut it down. His unusual talent was spotted by his senior high school teacher Li Qingping, who asked Luo to start training and take part in a coconut tree climbing competition in 2014.

At that time, the rules for coconut tree climbing competitions weren't well established. Competitors climbed real coconut trees barefoot so their feet often blistered and bled during training sessions, Luo said.

After just one month of training, he competed in the Fifth Hainan Provincial Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities. He represented Team Sanya and came fourth in the individual men's event.

"Coconut tree climbing requires good coordination and strength in the hands, feet, waist and abdomen. It's like a combination of rock climbing and free-running," Luo said.

In 2022, Luo, who became a firefighter in Sanya, received a call from Li, the head coach of Hainan's coconut tree climbing team, telling him the event had been added to the 12th games.

"Sometimes when I walk past the coconut tree at the fire station I'll give it a try, or climb it a bit, just to stay in shape," Luo joked.

"Tree climbing skills have helped me climb ladders faster during search and rescue missions," he added.

In the future, Luo aims to promote coconut tree climbing nationwide, inspire more athletes, and push the sport's limits.

"Many athletes from outside Hainan who have been training on artificial coconut trees told me that they have never climbed a real one, so I took them to the beach and we climbed the coconut trees together and they loved it," Luo said.

"I think such an experience is more important and precious than winning."

Luo believes the next champion will break six seconds, and an athlete from outside Hainan may be the one to do it, he said confidently.