WHEN parachutist Ding Jianping jumped from the top of the Jinmao Tower, at a height of about 345 metres, on October 5, China's first "BASE" jumper was born. Previously, China was a blank page in the history of this risky sport.

During the 2004 International BASE (Building, Antennae, Span and Earth) Jumping Show staged from the top of the Jinmao Tower, six Chinese jumpers along with another 31 jumpers from 15 countries - including Norway, Australia, the US and Britain - completed their risky jumps to enthusiastic applause from thousands of people in the audience.

Ding was the first competitor, jumping amidst a blast of colourful smoke and a fluttering Chinese red flag.

"Today's wind is quite strong, which adds a little difficulty for Chinese sports people with less experience in BASE jumping," said Ding after his jump. "But I am confident that we Chinese can do it." And, they did.

New experience

The sport has been popular in Western countries for many years but is relatively new to China.

"I saw the first Jinmao BASE jump last year, and I was so sorry that there were no Chinese participating in it," said Zhang Hesheng, director of the Parachute Department of the Aero Sports Federation of China. "So this year, we made the decision to participate in the BASE jump."

The six Chinese jumpers were selected from over 100 participants. "We selected them because they are very good skydivers with rich experience. From my point of view, BASE jumping is a very risky sport," Zhang said.

"Compared with sky diving, which takes place from a greater height, during BASE jumping the jumpers can see more reference points, such as buildings and pedestrians, which can make them feel they are falling even faster," Zhang added. "So when our sports people jumped, I felt my heart almost jump out of my throat."

Actually, the six Chinese jumpers had the least experience among the 37 jumpers. Most foreign jumpers have jumped hundreds or even over 1,000 times before. But the six Chinese only started BASE jumping last May. They had two phases of training in North China's Shanxi Province and Beijing.

"As for the 300-metre-high jump, we tried it only about 15 or 16 times during the training," said Hu Weizhong, a female jumper. All the training was launched from a hot air balloon because they couldn't find a suitable building.

"The jumping show is our second BASE jump from a real building," Hu said. "But I don't feel nervous," said the attractive athlete who has sky-dived over 5,000 times.

Jumping from the tower, competitors first free fall for about five or six seconds to give enough room to open the parachute. By then, they have fallen over 100 metres.

"During this process, we need to watch reference points to control our direction, counting seconds and adjusting our body," Hu said. "And it's so exciting!"

Zhang said they are planning to let Chinese BASE jumpers attend more international events held abroad next year.