Jiangjunshan Ski Resort, located in Altay prefecture of northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, is becoming a popular destination for Chinese ski fans. The past two years have seen a steep rise in the number of visitors to Altay, a steward there told Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post (SCMP), “the number of visitors (at the Resort) is growing, and the proportion of seasoned skiers is also rising.”

As reported by SCMP, China has been promoting winter sports since Beijing won the bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in 2015: while building more ice rinks and skiing grounds of higher quality, China has also funneled more funding for training coaches and athletes. Many Beijing citizens, who are used to skating on frozen lakes in winter, have taken up “new” sports like skiing and ice hockey due to the Games.

Visitors using fur skis enjoy the snow at Jiangjunshan Ski Resort in Altay prefecture in Xinjiang in 2019. ZHANG XIUKE/FOR CHINA DAILY

According to Washington DC-based National Public Radio, the Winter Olympics have brought a growing ice and snow sports scene across China:  “The government and private companies have built ice rinks and ski runs. Public schools are adding skating and other winter sports to their curriculum. Parents willingly pay for hockey and skating lessons. Villages near skiing grounds are building inns to serve well-heeled tourists.”

Data from the 2020 China Ski Industry White Paper show that the number of ski resorts in China has increased by more than 40 percent since 2015 to 800; the number of skating rinks has risen twofold to more than 650; and the value of China’s winter sports industry reached 600 billion yuan in 2020, according to Quartz magazine.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, over 346 million Chinese people have participated in winter sports since 2015, realizing the goal of “engaging 300 million people in ice and snow sports”. Quartz pointed out that besides infrastructure, athletes, as role models, also help promote ice and snow sports. “(Athletes) are key to nurturing a culture around snow and ice. For example, the main talking point of Eileen Gu, a famous freestyle skier, has been her wish to inspire young women to pick up the sport.”

The steward at the Resort believes that China’s snow sports still have great potential. SCMP reports that China’s local authorities, including that in Altay, have introduced favorable policies for the winter sports industry.

Translated and compiled by China Youth Daily