Han Minjie balances on his board on the street.[Photo provided to China Daily]

The 'extension'

As skateboarding will make its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games, Liu was selected for the national skateboarding team.

The formerly carefree and unruly young man who once told the South China Morning Post "I don't like being told what to do", has become more self-disciplined and fueled by his sense of honor and responsibility.

Recalling the moment when he won a bronze medal-his first for his country-in the "street" section of the skateboard competition at the 2014 Asian Beach Games in Phuket, Thailand, Liu says: "I never expected that I would be so proud of my motherland."

The elevation of skateboarding to one of the world's leading international sporting events has not only encouraged more people to try their hand at it, but has even spawned a mainstream reality TV sensation.