Feature image of RADII Exclusive: These Multifaceted Women are Surfing on the Spirit of Dragons

RADII Exclusive: These Multifaceted Women are Surfing on the Spirit of Dragons

4 mins read

4 mins read

Feature image of RADII Exclusive: These Multifaceted Women are Surfing on the Spirit of Dragons
What happens when an English-Chinese language institute, comic book publisher, creative agency, and culture amplifier designs surfboards?

“My kids call me Dragon Mom—this generation’s Tiger Mom?—and I love it!”

Cheryl is clearly a mom, but she’s also a multifaceted superwoman. What’s the best way to describe her? To put it in a string of words: a visionary, an entrepreneur, a teacher, a trailblazer, a badass, and last but not least, a surfer.

RADII exclusive feature with Dragon Academy who designed two Dragon Boat Festival inspired surfboards.
Cheryl Mainland (left) and Nino Chu (right) from Dragon Academy, holding the “Love Dragon” and “Floral Jade Dragon” surfboards that they designed.

While many of today’s youth specifically seek out a diverse professional lifestyle, Cheryl Mainland has been there, done that, and still does today through her platform, Dragon Academy. One part English-Chinese language institute, one part comic book publisher, one part creative agency, and another part culture amplifier, what Cheryl and her team of equally badass creatives are doing is nothing short of inspiring.

While based in Bali, Indonesia, Cheryl is part Chinese, part American, born and raised in Hong Kong, and her team also has ties both ethnically and culturally to the East and West. Much like the building blocks of RADII, Dragon Academy serves as a bridge between both sides with the mission and ethos of celebrating them on equal grounds.

RADII exclusive feature with Dragon Academy who designed two Dragon Boat Festival inspired surfboards.

For their most recent in-house project—of which there are plenty—the Dragon Academy team went full tribute mode on the spirit of the Dragon. Within Chinese culture, the Dragon represents “the ultimate symbol of power, wisdom, and benevolence”; an apt inspiration to follow for a team like theirs. The project involves the creation of two stunning surfboards, each featuring designs that symbolize the spirit of the Dragon.

“These surfboards embody who we are: our Chinese heritage, our passion for surfing, and our vision with Dragon Academy—to spark a love for Chinese language and culture, and invest in real intelligence for our generation and the ones to come through bilingual education,” Nino Chu, Dragon Academy’s head of strategic partnerships, tells us.

The project was originally intended to celebrate Dragon Boat Festival, an annual Chinese ritual for blessings of abundant harvests and good health, which dates back to 278 BCE. The event is now commonly known for its dragon boat races—this “resurgence” started in Hong Kong in 1976—with the festival going on for around 2 weeks throughout China and Hong Kong. Dragon Academy’s surfboards, however, carry its spirit timelessly; with each wave, these dragon boards uplift the ethos imbued into their skin.

As for the designs on the two boards, a lot of careful consideration, intent, and meaning went into them. “In collaboration with [artist] Lisa King, we painted a jade dragon rising from a vase, surrounded by our favorite blooms—lotus, peony, protea, daisy—and a dragonfly for luck,” Cheryl told RADII about the “Floral Jade Dragon” surfboard. She adds, “In seal script, at the top of the board, reads: 望子成龙,龙行天下 (“May your children become dragons, may the dragon way rule the skies”). A blessing for our children. A nod to Dragon Academy. A legacy, in motion.”

Cheryl with artist Lisa King with their collaborative “Floral Jade Dragon” board.

This motherly touch extends into the very scales of Dragon Academy. Stemming from Cheryl’s own American-Chinese mix and Hong Kong upbringing, she wanted her children to be able to speak both Chinese and English. But why stop there? Surely there are many others wanting the same tutelage, and thus, Dragon Academy was born. 

Cheryl, her two kids, and the “Floral Jade Dragon” board.

Everything that the team does is imbued with the mission of celebrating the Chinese language by way of learning. Be it their awesome comic books that are just as entertaining in their character development and narrative as they are in learning practical Chinese, or the poetic paintings on these surfboards. “Chinese characters are pictographic—the character for mountain (山) looks like a mountain, the character for person (人) looks like a person walking. So calligraphy feels very similar to painting a picture—it’s constructing something visual, emotional, and alive,” Nino tells us.

Like what Cheryl and the rest of the team are doing through their creative efforts, Nino’s own family guided her toward the beauty of the Chinese language. “I learned Chinese calligraphy from my grandpa, who taught me that it’s all about rhythm. We would trace lines together, his hand guiding mine, until I found my flow. Whenever the occasion calls for it and I pick up the brush, the rhythm returns—instinctively, almost on a cellular level. That’s heritage.”

Nino Chu, head of strategic partnerships at Dragon Academy.

Their second board, dubbed “Love Dragon,” is perhaps the best visual representation of what Dragon Academy is. “This board is a love letter to language, culture, and the journey,” says Cheryl. “One side reads 愛龍 (Love, Dragon) calligraphy in street-art style. The other holds 15 idioms, gilded and lined with ginkgo leaves—each one a step in the journey of a hero, a founder, of who we are. It captures what we’re building at Dragon Academy: making learning Chinese feel not just relevant—but alive.”

The “Love Dragon” surfboard.

Much like dragon boats, these surfboards are vessels that carry the spirit and ethos of what Dragon Academy is all about, all for the blessings of abundance in shared culture. While perhaps not a literal journey—please don’t try that at home—these boards carry us from East to West and back. And who better to push us forward than the very waves Dragon Academy is creating?

Cheryl with the “Floral Jade Dragon” board.

All images via Dragon Academy.

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Feature image of RADII Exclusive: These Multifaceted Women are Surfing on the Spirit of Dragons

RADII Exclusive: These Multifaceted Women are Surfing on the Spirit of Dragons

4 mins read

What happens when an English-Chinese language institute, comic book publisher, creative agency, and culture amplifier designs surfboards?

“My kids call me Dragon Mom—this generation’s Tiger Mom?—and I love it!”

Cheryl is clearly a mom, but she’s also a multifaceted superwoman. What’s the best way to describe her? To put it in a string of words: a visionary, an entrepreneur, a teacher, a trailblazer, a badass, and last but not least, a surfer.

RADII exclusive feature with Dragon Academy who designed two Dragon Boat Festival inspired surfboards.
Cheryl Mainland (left) and Nino Chu (right) from Dragon Academy, holding the “Love Dragon” and “Floral Jade Dragon” surfboards that they designed.

While many of today’s youth specifically seek out a diverse professional lifestyle, Cheryl Mainland has been there, done that, and still does today through her platform, Dragon Academy. One part English-Chinese language institute, one part comic book publisher, one part creative agency, and another part culture amplifier, what Cheryl and her team of equally badass creatives are doing is nothing short of inspiring.

While based in Bali, Indonesia, Cheryl is part Chinese, part American, born and raised in Hong Kong, and her team also has ties both ethnically and culturally to the East and West. Much like the building blocks of RADII, Dragon Academy serves as a bridge between both sides with the mission and ethos of celebrating them on equal grounds.

RADII exclusive feature with Dragon Academy who designed two Dragon Boat Festival inspired surfboards.

For their most recent in-house project—of which there are plenty—the Dragon Academy team went full tribute mode on the spirit of the Dragon. Within Chinese culture, the Dragon represents “the ultimate symbol of power, wisdom, and benevolence”; an apt inspiration to follow for a team like theirs. The project involves the creation of two stunning surfboards, each featuring designs that symbolize the spirit of the Dragon.

“These surfboards embody who we are: our Chinese heritage, our passion for surfing, and our vision with Dragon Academy—to spark a love for Chinese language and culture, and invest in real intelligence for our generation and the ones to come through bilingual education,” Nino Chu, Dragon Academy’s head of strategic partnerships, tells us.

The project was originally intended to celebrate Dragon Boat Festival, an annual Chinese ritual for blessings of abundant harvests and good health, which dates back to 278 BCE. The event is now commonly known for its dragon boat races—this “resurgence” started in Hong Kong in 1976—with the festival going on for around 2 weeks throughout China and Hong Kong. Dragon Academy’s surfboards, however, carry its spirit timelessly; with each wave, these dragon boards uplift the ethos imbued into their skin.

As for the designs on the two boards, a lot of careful consideration, intent, and meaning went into them. “In collaboration with [artist] Lisa King, we painted a jade dragon rising from a vase, surrounded by our favorite blooms—lotus, peony, protea, daisy—and a dragonfly for luck,” Cheryl told RADII about the “Floral Jade Dragon” surfboard. She adds, “In seal script, at the top of the board, reads: 望子成龙,龙行天下 (“May your children become dragons, may the dragon way rule the skies”). A blessing for our children. A nod to Dragon Academy. A legacy, in motion.”

Cheryl with artist Lisa King with their collaborative “Floral Jade Dragon” board.

This motherly touch extends into the very scales of Dragon Academy. Stemming from Cheryl’s own American-Chinese mix and Hong Kong upbringing, she wanted her children to be able to speak both Chinese and English. But why stop there? Surely there are many others wanting the same tutelage, and thus, Dragon Academy was born. 

Cheryl, her two kids, and the “Floral Jade Dragon” board.

Everything that the team does is imbued with the mission of celebrating the Chinese language by way of learning. Be it their awesome comic books that are just as entertaining in their character development and narrative as they are in learning practical Chinese, or the poetic paintings on these surfboards. “Chinese characters are pictographic—the character for mountain (山) looks like a mountain, the character for person (人) looks like a person walking. So calligraphy feels very similar to painting a picture—it’s constructing something visual, emotional, and alive,” Nino tells us.

Like what Cheryl and the rest of the team are doing through their creative efforts, Nino’s own family guided her toward the beauty of the Chinese language. “I learned Chinese calligraphy from my grandpa, who taught me that it’s all about rhythm. We would trace lines together, his hand guiding mine, until I found my flow. Whenever the occasion calls for it and I pick up the brush, the rhythm returns—instinctively, almost on a cellular level. That’s heritage.”

Nino Chu, head of strategic partnerships at Dragon Academy.

Their second board, dubbed “Love Dragon,” is perhaps the best visual representation of what Dragon Academy is. “This board is a love letter to language, culture, and the journey,” says Cheryl. “One side reads 愛龍 (Love, Dragon) calligraphy in street-art style. The other holds 15 idioms, gilded and lined with ginkgo leaves—each one a step in the journey of a hero, a founder, of who we are. It captures what we’re building at Dragon Academy: making learning Chinese feel not just relevant—but alive.”

The “Love Dragon” surfboard.

Much like dragon boats, these surfboards are vessels that carry the spirit and ethos of what Dragon Academy is all about, all for the blessings of abundance in shared culture. While perhaps not a literal journey—please don’t try that at home—these boards carry us from East to West and back. And who better to push us forward than the very waves Dragon Academy is creating?

Cheryl with the “Floral Jade Dragon” board.

All images via Dragon Academy.

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Feature image of RADII Exclusive: These Multifaceted Women are Surfing on the Spirit of Dragons

RADII Exclusive: These Multifaceted Women are Surfing on the Spirit of Dragons

4 mins read

4 mins read

Feature image of RADII Exclusive: These Multifaceted Women are Surfing on the Spirit of Dragons
What happens when an English-Chinese language institute, comic book publisher, creative agency, and culture amplifier designs surfboards?

“My kids call me Dragon Mom—this generation’s Tiger Mom?—and I love it!”

Cheryl is clearly a mom, but she’s also a multifaceted superwoman. What’s the best way to describe her? To put it in a string of words: a visionary, an entrepreneur, a teacher, a trailblazer, a badass, and last but not least, a surfer.

RADII exclusive feature with Dragon Academy who designed two Dragon Boat Festival inspired surfboards.
Cheryl Mainland (left) and Nino Chu (right) from Dragon Academy, holding the “Love Dragon” and “Floral Jade Dragon” surfboards that they designed.

While many of today’s youth specifically seek out a diverse professional lifestyle, Cheryl Mainland has been there, done that, and still does today through her platform, Dragon Academy. One part English-Chinese language institute, one part comic book publisher, one part creative agency, and another part culture amplifier, what Cheryl and her team of equally badass creatives are doing is nothing short of inspiring.

While based in Bali, Indonesia, Cheryl is part Chinese, part American, born and raised in Hong Kong, and her team also has ties both ethnically and culturally to the East and West. Much like the building blocks of RADII, Dragon Academy serves as a bridge between both sides with the mission and ethos of celebrating them on equal grounds.

RADII exclusive feature with Dragon Academy who designed two Dragon Boat Festival inspired surfboards.

For their most recent in-house project—of which there are plenty—the Dragon Academy team went full tribute mode on the spirit of the Dragon. Within Chinese culture, the Dragon represents “the ultimate symbol of power, wisdom, and benevolence”; an apt inspiration to follow for a team like theirs. The project involves the creation of two stunning surfboards, each featuring designs that symbolize the spirit of the Dragon.

“These surfboards embody who we are: our Chinese heritage, our passion for surfing, and our vision with Dragon Academy—to spark a love for Chinese language and culture, and invest in real intelligence for our generation and the ones to come through bilingual education,” Nino Chu, Dragon Academy’s head of strategic partnerships, tells us.

The project was originally intended to celebrate Dragon Boat Festival, an annual Chinese ritual for blessings of abundant harvests and good health, which dates back to 278 BCE. The event is now commonly known for its dragon boat races—this “resurgence” started in Hong Kong in 1976—with the festival going on for around 2 weeks throughout China and Hong Kong. Dragon Academy’s surfboards, however, carry its spirit timelessly; with each wave, these dragon boards uplift the ethos imbued into their skin.

As for the designs on the two boards, a lot of careful consideration, intent, and meaning went into them. “In collaboration with [artist] Lisa King, we painted a jade dragon rising from a vase, surrounded by our favorite blooms—lotus, peony, protea, daisy—and a dragonfly for luck,” Cheryl told RADII about the “Floral Jade Dragon” surfboard. She adds, “In seal script, at the top of the board, reads: 望子成龙,龙行天下 (“May your children become dragons, may the dragon way rule the skies”). A blessing for our children. A nod to Dragon Academy. A legacy, in motion.”

Cheryl with artist Lisa King with their collaborative “Floral Jade Dragon” board.

This motherly touch extends into the very scales of Dragon Academy. Stemming from Cheryl’s own American-Chinese mix and Hong Kong upbringing, she wanted her children to be able to speak both Chinese and English. But why stop there? Surely there are many others wanting the same tutelage, and thus, Dragon Academy was born. 

Cheryl, her two kids, and the “Floral Jade Dragon” board.

Everything that the team does is imbued with the mission of celebrating the Chinese language by way of learning. Be it their awesome comic books that are just as entertaining in their character development and narrative as they are in learning practical Chinese, or the poetic paintings on these surfboards. “Chinese characters are pictographic—the character for mountain (山) looks like a mountain, the character for person (人) looks like a person walking. So calligraphy feels very similar to painting a picture—it’s constructing something visual, emotional, and alive,” Nino tells us.

Like what Cheryl and the rest of the team are doing through their creative efforts, Nino’s own family guided her toward the beauty of the Chinese language. “I learned Chinese calligraphy from my grandpa, who taught me that it’s all about rhythm. We would trace lines together, his hand guiding mine, until I found my flow. Whenever the occasion calls for it and I pick up the brush, the rhythm returns—instinctively, almost on a cellular level. That’s heritage.”

Nino Chu, head of strategic partnerships at Dragon Academy.

Their second board, dubbed “Love Dragon,” is perhaps the best visual representation of what Dragon Academy is. “This board is a love letter to language, culture, and the journey,” says Cheryl. “One side reads 愛龍 (Love, Dragon) calligraphy in street-art style. The other holds 15 idioms, gilded and lined with ginkgo leaves—each one a step in the journey of a hero, a founder, of who we are. It captures what we’re building at Dragon Academy: making learning Chinese feel not just relevant—but alive.”

The “Love Dragon” surfboard.

Much like dragon boats, these surfboards are vessels that carry the spirit and ethos of what Dragon Academy is all about, all for the blessings of abundance in shared culture. While perhaps not a literal journey—please don’t try that at home—these boards carry us from East to West and back. And who better to push us forward than the very waves Dragon Academy is creating?

Cheryl with the “Floral Jade Dragon” board.

All images via Dragon Academy.

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Feature image of RADII Exclusive: These Multifaceted Women are Surfing on the Spirit of Dragons

RADII Exclusive: These Multifaceted Women are Surfing on the Spirit of Dragons

4 mins read

What happens when an English-Chinese language institute, comic book publisher, creative agency, and culture amplifier designs surfboards?

“My kids call me Dragon Mom—this generation’s Tiger Mom?—and I love it!”

Cheryl is clearly a mom, but she’s also a multifaceted superwoman. What’s the best way to describe her? To put it in a string of words: a visionary, an entrepreneur, a teacher, a trailblazer, a badass, and last but not least, a surfer.

RADII exclusive feature with Dragon Academy who designed two Dragon Boat Festival inspired surfboards.
Cheryl Mainland (left) and Nino Chu (right) from Dragon Academy, holding the “Love Dragon” and “Floral Jade Dragon” surfboards that they designed.

While many of today’s youth specifically seek out a diverse professional lifestyle, Cheryl Mainland has been there, done that, and still does today through her platform, Dragon Academy. One part English-Chinese language institute, one part comic book publisher, one part creative agency, and another part culture amplifier, what Cheryl and her team of equally badass creatives are doing is nothing short of inspiring.

While based in Bali, Indonesia, Cheryl is part Chinese, part American, born and raised in Hong Kong, and her team also has ties both ethnically and culturally to the East and West. Much like the building blocks of RADII, Dragon Academy serves as a bridge between both sides with the mission and ethos of celebrating them on equal grounds.

RADII exclusive feature with Dragon Academy who designed two Dragon Boat Festival inspired surfboards.

For their most recent in-house project—of which there are plenty—the Dragon Academy team went full tribute mode on the spirit of the Dragon. Within Chinese culture, the Dragon represents “the ultimate symbol of power, wisdom, and benevolence”; an apt inspiration to follow for a team like theirs. The project involves the creation of two stunning surfboards, each featuring designs that symbolize the spirit of the Dragon.

“These surfboards embody who we are: our Chinese heritage, our passion for surfing, and our vision with Dragon Academy—to spark a love for Chinese language and culture, and invest in real intelligence for our generation and the ones to come through bilingual education,” Nino Chu, Dragon Academy’s head of strategic partnerships, tells us.

The project was originally intended to celebrate Dragon Boat Festival, an annual Chinese ritual for blessings of abundant harvests and good health, which dates back to 278 BCE. The event is now commonly known for its dragon boat races—this “resurgence” started in Hong Kong in 1976—with the festival going on for around 2 weeks throughout China and Hong Kong. Dragon Academy’s surfboards, however, carry its spirit timelessly; with each wave, these dragon boards uplift the ethos imbued into their skin.

As for the designs on the two boards, a lot of careful consideration, intent, and meaning went into them. “In collaboration with [artist] Lisa King, we painted a jade dragon rising from a vase, surrounded by our favorite blooms—lotus, peony, protea, daisy—and a dragonfly for luck,” Cheryl told RADII about the “Floral Jade Dragon” surfboard. She adds, “In seal script, at the top of the board, reads: 望子成龙,龙行天下 (“May your children become dragons, may the dragon way rule the skies”). A blessing for our children. A nod to Dragon Academy. A legacy, in motion.”

Cheryl with artist Lisa King with their collaborative “Floral Jade Dragon” board.

This motherly touch extends into the very scales of Dragon Academy. Stemming from Cheryl’s own American-Chinese mix and Hong Kong upbringing, she wanted her children to be able to speak both Chinese and English. But why stop there? Surely there are many others wanting the same tutelage, and thus, Dragon Academy was born. 

Cheryl, her two kids, and the “Floral Jade Dragon” board.

Everything that the team does is imbued with the mission of celebrating the Chinese language by way of learning. Be it their awesome comic books that are just as entertaining in their character development and narrative as they are in learning practical Chinese, or the poetic paintings on these surfboards. “Chinese characters are pictographic—the character for mountain (山) looks like a mountain, the character for person (人) looks like a person walking. So calligraphy feels very similar to painting a picture—it’s constructing something visual, emotional, and alive,” Nino tells us.

Like what Cheryl and the rest of the team are doing through their creative efforts, Nino’s own family guided her toward the beauty of the Chinese language. “I learned Chinese calligraphy from my grandpa, who taught me that it’s all about rhythm. We would trace lines together, his hand guiding mine, until I found my flow. Whenever the occasion calls for it and I pick up the brush, the rhythm returns—instinctively, almost on a cellular level. That’s heritage.”

Nino Chu, head of strategic partnerships at Dragon Academy.

Their second board, dubbed “Love Dragon,” is perhaps the best visual representation of what Dragon Academy is. “This board is a love letter to language, culture, and the journey,” says Cheryl. “One side reads 愛龍 (Love, Dragon) calligraphy in street-art style. The other holds 15 idioms, gilded and lined with ginkgo leaves—each one a step in the journey of a hero, a founder, of who we are. It captures what we’re building at Dragon Academy: making learning Chinese feel not just relevant—but alive.”

The “Love Dragon” surfboard.

Much like dragon boats, these surfboards are vessels that carry the spirit and ethos of what Dragon Academy is all about, all for the blessings of abundance in shared culture. While perhaps not a literal journey—please don’t try that at home—these boards carry us from East to West and back. And who better to push us forward than the very waves Dragon Academy is creating?

Cheryl with the “Floral Jade Dragon” board.

All images via Dragon Academy.

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What happens when an English-Chinese language institute, comic book publisher, creative agency, and culture amplifier designs surfboards?

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