On November 30, 2022, the 3rd International Symposium on “Surfing and Culture” was held at the Les Sables d’Olonne campus of the Faculty of Tourism, Culture, and Hospitality Management (ESTHUA) at the University of Angers, France. Under the guidance of the campus director and doctoral supervisor in tourism sociology, Professor Christophe Guibert, our 2017 undergraduate Tourism Management graduate MAO Xiaolin and 2020 postgraduate Tourism Management student XU Kexin, along with their fellow Master’s students from the Coastal Spaces and Societies program, worked together to organize this symposium. The theme of this year’s conference was Le genre et le surf (Gender and Surfing), divided into three sections.

The first section was a roundtable discussion, where several experienced industry experts were invited to share their insights on the theme “Surfing: A Lens for Examining Gender,” including:

      •      Marie CHAUCHE, a two-time French longboard surfing champion,

      •      Caroline ANGIBAUD, a surfer with 25 years of experience, an eight-time world surfing champion, and a three-time consecutive European Cup winner,

      •      Anne Laure ROBBE, representative of the Surf and Gender Committee of the Loire Valley Surfing Alliance.

The nearly two-hour discussion focused on topics such as women’s surfing practices, the “gaze” on female surfers, and the stereotypes, challenges, and inconveniences faced by women in the sport.

The second section featured a screening of a film by Charlène DOSIO, which highlighted the current situation of women surfers in Morocco. The film centered on how girls in less developed cities in Morocco engage in surfing and their resistance to traditional, religious, and familial constraints.

The third section showcased the work of three artists, each presenting art pieces related to surfing.

The Faculty of Tourism, Culture, and Hospitality Management at the University of Angers offers coastal and maritime cultural tourism-related undergraduate and Master’s programs, including Coastal Heritage, Coastal Tourism and Water Sports, and Coastal Spaces and Societies. These programs are based in the “European Sailing Capital” of Les Sables d’Olonne, located on the Atlantic coast. They receive strong support from the French central government, the Loire Valley region, the Vendée department, and major international events such as the Vendée Globe, one of the three major global round-the-world yacht races, which starts and ends in Les Sables d’Olonne. The programs are closely integrated with the local economy, society, and culture, with a high degree of coordination between government, industry, academia, research, and innovation, making the school distinctively unique. Since the program’s inception in 2015, graduates from our Tourism Department have consistently enrolled in these programs, becoming a key presence at the campus. Among these alumni, some have been received by the former Prime Minister of France, some have been honored as “Ambassadors of Sino-French Tourism Exchange,” and some have been invited to participate in local government roundtable consultations. These alumni are frequently featured in the media, showcasing the exemplary qualities of Chinese youth and Ningbo University students, and their comprehensive skills and professional capabilities are highly recognized by all sectors of French society.

Over the fifteen years of collaboration between Ningbo University and the University of Angers, generation after generation of Ningbo University students have set off on their journey to study in France, carrying the dreams of cultural exchange and mutual understanding between civilizations, and becoming ambassadors of Sino-French cultural exchange and promoters of Sino-French friendship.