Published on: 2026-09-07
Source: People’s Republic of China — Translation
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Jinan, September 7 /Xinhua/ — Recently, Russian businessman Marat Khabibullin shared with a Xinhua correspondent a photograph of a satisfied customer who had just purchased a coveted product — a sap board — at his store. Marat also wrote: “The happy owner of the board.”
The paddleboards of this entrepreneur from the city of Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan /RF/, are supplied by Weihai Funwater Outdoor Co., Ltd., based in the coastal city of Weihai in Shandong province /East China/. Their partnership began in 2021, when Marat decided to turn his hobby into a full-fledged business.
In recent years, stand-up paddleboarding has become increasingly popular. When a person engages in this sport, they stand or sit on a special board, moving across the water using a long paddle.
Russia, with its vast water resources, is the perfect place for the development of this sport. In the surroundings of Kazan, where Marat Khabibullin lives, there are many rivers and lakes, and outdoor enthusiasts increasingly travel to the Black Sea, where the water sports season lasts significantly longer than in other regions of the country.
Originally, Marat Khabibullin was just an amateur at stand-up paddleboarding. After watching a tutorial video, he mastered stand-up paddleboarding in just five minutes. Realizing that this sport is accessible to everyone, he ordered the first batch of boards from the aforementioned company in the city of Weihai.
Today, Marat not only owns a retail store selling surfboards in Kazan, but also actively develops online sales throughout Russia.
Over the past 5 years, his stand-up paddleboard business has been growing by an average of 30 percent per year, and in some years the growth even reached two to three times. “I am very glad that I once discovered the world of stand-up paddle surfing, found the company Funwater, and decided to start my own business,” admits the entrepreneur.
As the number of consumers from Russia grows, an increasing amount of boards from China are entering the local market, with the majority of them manufactured in the city of Weihai, which is the largest production base of such goods in the world. It accounts for more than 50 percent of the global market.
Relatively complete production chains for stand-up paddleboards have already been formed in Weihai: from raw materials and manufacturing to sales within the framework of cross-border e-commerce and logistics.
According to representatives of some Weihai stand-up paddleboard manufacturing companies, Russia has become one of the important overseas markets showing the fastest growth rates. They stated that the popularity of stand-up paddleboards among Russians has noticeably increased and Russia is one of the key markets for their companies.
According to Weihai Customs data, by the end of the first half of 2026, the volume of exports of gear and equipment for surfing and water skiing, including SUP boards, from Weihai to Russia increased by more than 30 percent.
According to Marat Khabibullin, the growing popularity of SUP surfing among Russians is closely related to its characteristics. “It is an affordable sport that helps to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city and relax in nature,” he explains. In addition, unlike equipment for other water sports, such as kayaks, inflatable SUP boards are quite compact when deflated: they easily fit into a car trunk, making them an ideal choice for ordinary families and individual consumers.
The September chill in Kazan is gradually limiting opportunities for stand-up paddleboarding this year. Marat Khabibullin said that he wants to catch the last days of Indian summer with his family to ride the boards. -0-
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