Yesterday we posted an unboxing of a 1989 Thrasher mag. We spotted a Chinese skater in the issue and had no idea who that guy was. Today, We find him! He is Curtis Hsiang, an OG skater from the Bay Area and good friend with Jake Phelps. There is the story...
After the open box video was published yesterday, we also synced the story to KickerClub's Instagram account. Then we got a DM from Neal Hendrix :
Shortly after, Neal received confirmation from Tommy Guerrero that it was indeed him/the one.
Regarding why Curtis came to China in the 80s, Bryce Kanights had this to say:
OK, solved, Curtis Hsiang, 1963/12/04 - 2000/01/08.
Jake Phelps posted a video about him back in 2018
TWS also published an obituary shortly after his passing.
But, we didn't end our search there; digging deeper, we discovered…
Curtis was not just a skater; he was a graduate student at CCA (California College of the Arts) in Oakland. He received the Barclay Simpson Award in 1998! When he passed away in 2000, he was actually working with the City of Berkeley on the planning stages of a public skatepark, bridging his two worlds of art and skateboarding.
One step forward, Curtis Hsiang maybe the son of Wu-Yi Hsiang! A member of Hsiang family!
Here is the breakdown of why I drew that connection and where the information comes from:
1, The Name & Location: "Hsiang" is a relatively uncommon spelling of the surname (often Xiang or Siang) in the US. Both Curtis Hsiang and Wu-Yi Hsiang were prominent figures in Berkeley, California at the same time. Wu-Yi Hsiang was a professor in the UC Berkeley Mathematics Department (starting in the late 1960s), and Curtis was a key figure in the Berkeley/Oakland skate scene in the late 80s and 90s.
2, The 1989 China Connection: As you noted, Curtis was skating in China in 1989. At that time, travel to China from the US was rare and almost exclusively done by diplomats, business pioneers, or academics visiting family. Wu-Yi Hsiang (and his prominent academic brothers) frequently traveled to China for lectures and education reform. It is highly probable that Curtis's presence in Beijing during that specific historical window was due to accompanying his academic family.
3, Oral History: In Bay Area skate lore, Curtis is often remembered as coming from a highly intellectual/academic family, which contrasted sharply with his "Animal" persona and "raw" skating style.
About Hsiang Family:
As for Wu-Yih Hsiang (项武义), he is 88 years old and still alive. You can search for his name on Bilibili (China Youtube), where many videos of his lectures are available. The Hsiang family, originally from Yueqing County, Zhejiang, moved to Taiwan in 1949. The five children of the second generation subsequently went to the United States for their studies, and the family has produced 11 PhDs across three generations!
Wu-Chung Hsiang (项武忠, eldest son): Graduated from National Taiwan University, obtained his PhD from Princeton University, where he remained to teach, and is an Academician of Academia Sinica (Taiwan). His wife, Kuo Yu-Pei (郭誉珮), holds a Doctorate of Law.
Wu-Yih Hsiang (项武义, second son): Received his PhD in Mathematics from Princeton University. His wife, Hsieh Wan-Chen (谢婉贞), holds a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Pennsylvania.
Wu-Teh Hsiang (项武德, youngest son): And his wife, Marjorie, are a "PhD Couple" from the Department of Mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania.
Wen-Ying Hsiang (项文英, eldest daughter): Her husband, Wan Zong-Rong (万宗荣), holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Yale University.
Wen-Ling Hsiang (项文玲, youngest daughter): Her husband, Niu Xun-Jian (牛巽健), holds a PhD in Mathematics from UC Berkeley.
Who would have thought that a 40-year-old skate photo would lead back to a Chinese family that produced 11 PhDs across three generations? And yet, it was this very traditional academic family that raised Curtis Hsiang, a pioneer of Chinese skateboarding who possessed such a rebellious spirit.
Thank you, Jocko, for letting me know such a photo existed. Thank you, Danny, for finding the magazine in the States. Thank you, Neal, for providing us with the lead. And thank you, Curtis, for bringing this legendary story to all of us; we are all deeply inspired.
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