HARBIN, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- As the 9th Asian Winter Games draws close, Harbin, capital city of China's northernmost Heilongjiang Province, is welcoming an influx of spectators around the world, becoming one of the most popular travel destinations this winter.
With China releasing policies last November to stimulate the development of the ice-and-snow economy, Heilongjiang is transforming its rich winter resources into economic opportunities, unleashing momentum for the full revitalization of the old industrial base.
MASS PARTICIPATION
The Yabuli Ski Resort, located 200 kilometers from downtown Harbin, has been bustling with visitors and skiing enthusiasts days ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday. The pristine ski slopes are as lively as a summer beach.
Among the swarming tourists, seven-year-old Xin Yi, dressed in a cute ski outfit and on a snowboard, glides down the slope, proudly showcasing her newly acquired skill of a 360-degree spin off a small jump.
"With the coming Asian Winter Games in Harbin, more and more people are getting into skiing," said Xin Yi's father, Xin Mingqi. He said he would take Xin Yi to nearby ski resorts including Yabuli during holidays or weekends, which not only helps her stay fit but also builds her perseverance.
The Yabuli Ski Resort is the cradle of competitive skiing and ski resorts in China, and will also host the snow events of the 2025 Asian Winter Games.
He Huijie, general manager of the Yabuli Sun Mountain resort, reported a 20 percent year-on-year increase in the number of visitors in January, ranging from seniors in their seventies to children aged four and five.
Li Chunwei, deputy director of the Harbin Yabuli management committee, stated that the local government is seizing the opportunity of the Asian Winter Games to upgrade the venues, enhance hotel facilities, and improve infrastructure.
The number of hotel rooms has increased from 1,539 last year to 2,473, with a total of 5,140 beds available, easing previous accommodation shortages, said Li.
"During the 2024-2025 snow season, grassroots winter sports events are expected to diversify and proliferate," said Tian Ye, director of mass sports at Heilongjiang's provincial sports bureau.
Tian said the province is anticipating over 500 winter sports events at the county level or higher this winter, with direct participation from 250,000 people, indirectly involving seven million, representing a 20 percent growth from last winter.
OVERFLOWING INNOVATIONS
Fueled by winter sports enthusiasm amid the coming Asian Winter Games, innovative winter attractions have become a significant driver for the local economy of Harbin and Heilongjiang Province.
As the largest indoor ski resort in Asia, Harbin Hot Snow Miracle is receiving an average of 800 to 900 visitors daily.
Featuring eight slopes of varying inclines with a maximum vertical drop of 80 meters, the resort provides excellent skiing conditions year-round.
Apart from skiing, visitors can also enjoy traditional calligraphy, sugar painting, lion dances and steaming dumplings at the first "intangible cultural heritage Spring Festival" held at the resort this year, delving into the wonders of China's traditional culture.
"We continually create new business models that integrate skiing to meet visitors' demands," said Guan Liang, general manager of Harbin Hot Snow Miracle.
According to Guan, the team is currently collaborating with the Heilongjiang provincial sports bureau to establish a training platform for nurturing winter sports talents.
In downtown Harbin's Zhaolin Park, elaborate ice sculptures have attracted many young spectators to enjoy the Harbin Ice Lantern Festival.
Since its establishment in 1963, the festival has been the birthplace of ice lantern artistry in China and heralded innovations in ice-and-snow arts for over 20 years.
It inspired the establishment of the landmark Harbin Ice-Snow World, which received a historical high of over two million visitors by now this winter.
"We are continuously developing new venues for ice-and-snow activities within residential communities, school playgrounds, and urban parks to meet the demand of citizens and tourists," said Zhao Qian, director of the mass sports department of the Harbin sports bureau.
This winter, the city has created 114 public ice rinks, with 10 air-supported ice sports centers operating continuously, alongside a series of free ice-and-snow entertainment projects, Zhao added.
BOOMING INDUSTRIES
In November 2024, China released a slew of policies stimulating the vitality of the country's ice-and-snow economy through the development of winter sports, expecting the total scale to reach 1.2 trillion yuan (137.9 billion U.S. dollars) by 2027 and 1.5 trillion yuan by 2030.
With joint dynamism from the government and the market, ice-and-snow industries in Heilongjiang are drawing on talents to break new grounds, depicting the future of a new economic powerhouse.
"In winter I work in Yabuli, in summer I go to Guangzhou - wherever there's skiing or a need for instructors, that's where I go," said Wu Zheng, a ski instructor from Harbin, adding that he plans to go to Shanghai this year.
This migratory style of working is becoming a common practice among many in the industry.
Since the Beijing Winter Olympics, winter sports facilities have been built in provinces across China, including in northwest China's Xinjiang and south China's Guangdong.
This encouraged waves of ice-and-snow project management and training talents to move from Heilongjiang to various parts of the country, aiding the popularization of winter sports.
Fueled by the Asian Winter Games, Heilongjiang is promoting the establishment of a China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization winter sports demonstration zone, expediting the development of ice-and-snow equipment and digital industry parks.
A few days ago, Harbin Equipment Technology launched five new winter sports products, including skis, snowboards and a ski helmet, signing a contract with the Asian Winter Games organizing committee to become a regional supplier of skiing equipment.
"Our team is closely collaborating with Harbin Institute of Technology to integrate new materials such as carbon fiber, high-elastic fiber, and titanium alloys into ski equipment," said Hu Zhaohui, the company's general manager.
After years of research and development, Hu said the company has not only addressed challenges faced by domestic brands in craftsmanship and materials but has also achieved breakthroughs in the performance and durability of winter sports equipment.
According to the Heilongjiang Provincial Industrial and Information Technology Department, the ice-and-snow industry in the province is expected to generate revenue of 5.47 billion yuan in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 7.9 percent. This includes 260 million yuan from winter sports equipment, 210 million yuan from clothing, and five billion yuan from catering.
"'Ice-and-snow plus various industries' has become a major driver for Heilongjiang's development," according to He Xiaodong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a professor at Harbin Institute of Technology.
He added that accelerating the development of research, education, and industry collaborations, while focusing on technological innovation and brand development, will lead to more research achievements in the ice-and-snow industry, continuously enhancing the industry's innovation and value. ■
