Kayaking, once a niche water sport, has become a trendy way for Chinese people to spend the sweltering summer as related videos posted by Internet influencers on social media platforms have generated numerous likes and comments.

A century ago, kayaking entered the Olympics for the first time as a performance sport. Today, the niche water sport is more widely known.

The rapidly emerging sport is a wonderful way to exercise and bask in the sunshine while taking photos and socializing. On one of China's most famous social media platforms, kayaking-related videos have been played over 1 billion times and more than 160,000 people have engaged in the discussion.

For amateurs who are able to paddle a kayak, it only takes ten minutes of training at a professional club in Shanghai. The easiness to learn, excitement and fun, and being close to nature have made the sport especially popular among young people.

"First, I found out that kayaking is so fun because the way we [are] on the water and relax [with] wind blowing on ourselves is very comfortable. And when we study very hard at school, we will have free time to play kayaking to make us more or not under press (taking pressure off)," said Si Manni, a young kayaking lover from the Hangzhou-Bay Bilingual School in Shanghai.

"Since kayaking is a a way to soak up the sun on the water and we all know sunlight has a great healing power for children, it will make their personalities more outgoing. In addition to solo kayaking, there are pairs and some other collaborative events, through which kids can contact their peers from different age groups," said Sun Yanli, a kid's mother.

Although kayaking came late to China, it's clearly begun to move beyond the Olympic Games into more schools and homes. 

"We've cooperated with more than 20 schools in Shanghai, providing them with water sports training courses. People's enthusiasm for a sport can be fostered when they are still very young," said Zhang Qinglin, co-founder of the kayaking club Direction Kayak Association.

The club has attracted nearly 20,000 people to register so far this year, and the number is still rising.