ZHONGWEI, China — Even in the depths of isolation under Mao, one element of Chinese culture allowed its people to travel abroad and glimpse an alternative way of life: sport.
As capitalism, albeit run under communism, has consumed Chinese life, sport remains a huge part of the national ethos and the country will field one of the largest teams at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. But China has of late increasingly had its eye on traditionally western sports like Formula 1, “extreme sports†and winter games. Four-time British snowboard champion Dom Harington has for example noticed more Chinese competitors on the slopes  … Pictures, video and more