Skating at the Beijing Winter Olympic Stadium, skiing at the Zhangjiakou Winter Olympic Snow Resort, going to Harbin to see ice sculptures, going to Xiling Snow Mountain in Chengdu to see the sea of clouds, going to Hulunbeier Snow Nadam to feast your eyes, going to Changbai Mountain to participate in the snow marathon, singing and dancing in the Altay Ice and Snow Music Carnival… This winter is a hot season for ice and snow lovers.
People have multiple choices whether they are going to the ice rink or the snow rink to try the joy of competition, or to travel in the ice and snow to experience the folk customs of the ice and snow season. In the first snow and ice season after the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, countless Chinese people have the habit of walking on ice and snow and getting close to ice and snow.
Participation of the whole people in ice and snow sports
In the cold winter, people gallop in the snow field and play in the ice field.
Driven by the successful holding of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games and the Winter Paralympic Games and the preliminary preparations, China’s ice and snow economy has made considerable progress in recent years, a large number of high-quality ice and snow venues and facilities have been built, a series of colorful mass ice and snow events have been widely held, the Winter Olympic heritage continues to play a role, and the demand for ice and snow consumption is strong.
In Beijing, the Yanqing Olympic Park opens to welcome guests. People are full of expectations for this snow season. It used to be the venue for the alpine skiing events of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, which can bring skiing enthusiasts the experience of winter Olympic-level ski trails.
“The ski track is divided into different experience areas, including the super giant slalom track that meets the needs of high-level skiers, and the village ski track that is suitable for beginners and intermediate snowboarders. Especially, the end of the village ski track is connected with the Winter Olympic Village, making the sports and rest seamless.” said Chen Hongyan, the relevant director of Yanqing Olympic Peak Park.
More venues and facilities for the Beijing Winter Olympics are attracting people to get close to ice and snow sports. During the winter sports consumption season in Beijing from 2022 to 2023, nearly 100 snow rinks and ice rinks represented by the National Speed Skating Center “Ice Ribbon”, “Ice Cube” Ice Sports Center, Shougang Ski Jump, and the National Alpine Skiing Center “Snow Flying Swallow” actively participated.
“Give full play to the demonstration and driving role of the Winter Olympic venues and facilities, which is conducive to the centralized supply of diversified high-quality ice and snow products, thus driving the growth of sports consumption,” said Meng Qianghua, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports.
在河北，冬奥会点燃了民众对冰雪的热情。2022年12月，全省开展第九届全国大众冰雪季河北分会暨河北第七届“健康河北快乐冰雪”系列活动，活动将持续到今年2月，期间将举办各类冰雪赛事344场。举行，估计有 1000 万人参加。同时，河北近期还启动发放1500万元冰雪消费券，带动更多人感受冰雪，畅享中国冰雪年。
河北省张家口崇礼云顶滑雪场副总裁张旭光认为，滑雪不仅要作为普通的体育产品来发展，更应该作为旅游文化产品来发展。目前，崇礼多家滑雪场已开始与航空公司合作，开通更多航班，方便南方城市游客体验冰雪活动。
Participating in the ice and snow sports has changed from slogan to action. For example, in Hohhot, on December 24, 2022, the launching ceremony of the Ninth National Mass Ice and Snow Season (Inner Mongolia Station) was held at Taiwei Ski Resort. During the event, the Sports Bureau of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region held a series of colorful and diversified ice and snow theme brand activities and mass ice and snow events, and launched more preferential measures to facilitate the people, providing better ice and snow services.
Statistics from major snow resorts show that the proportion of young people who love skiing is large, and family travel is also rising significantly. During the Spring Festival holiday, ski resorts in many northern provinces are crowded, and tourists from Guangdong, Shanghai, Chongqing, Guangxi, Jiangxi and other southern provinces have come here to ski and enjoy the Spring Festival in the form of ice and snow sports.
Fun has become the biggest feature of mass ice and snow sports. For example, on January 1, the seventh “Winter of Qinhuangdao · Happy Ice and Snow Tourism and Culture Season” of the 2022-2023 snow season kicked off. Snow football, snow frisbee, snow waist flag football… interesting activities made ice and snow sports fans cry out.
The snow and ice movement is also sinking into the countryside. In Tangshan, Langfang, Xingtai and other places in Hebei Province, many ski parks and ice and snow carnivals have taken root in the village, so that the villagers can experience the fun of ice and snow at their home.
Ice and snow tourism in various forms
According to the China Ice and Snow Tourism Development Report (2023) released by the China Tourism Research Institute, under the high enthusiasm of the public to participate in ice and snow tourism, ice and snow tourism is changing from “yes” to “good”.
During the Spring Festival this year, parks and shopping malls across the country launched colorful ice and snow consumption cultural tourism activities. Ice and snow carnivals light up the people’s life in the Spring Festival. In the first ice and snow season after the Winter Olympics, the consumption of ice and snow leisure tourism has been increasing, and the trend of hot winter holiday and hot spring festival is forming.
Take Jilin as an example. From the Changbai Mountains to the Songhua River, from the forest sea and snowfield to the ice lake, the land of Jilin covered with ice and snow presents a variety of colors. On January 10, the second Songhua River Winter Fishing Culture Festival opened in the Songhua River Ecological Tourism Scenic Spot, Jingyu County, Baishan City, Jilin Province, offering sacrifices to the Changbai Mountain, chanting sacrifices, waking up the net, and drinking Zhuang Xing wine. Then, the trumpets sounded, the fishermen began to pull and close the net, and a tail of fresh fish leaped out; On January 12, Badaohezi Town, Huadian City, Jilin Province, was wrapped in snow. The fifth Huadian Zhaodaji Mountain Ice and Snow Cultural Festival was opened. From glaciers, ice sculptures, snow caves to snowmobiles, motorized sledges, horse drawn plows, from duet shows, Jurchen style dances, Korean songs and dances to chicken stewed mushrooms, pork stewed pickled Chinese cabbage and other special foods, the local area provides tourists with countless choices; During the Spring Festival holiday, the tourist reception of Changbai Mountain and Chagan Lake scenic spots increased by 294.31% and 419.86% respectively year on year.
In Heilongjiang, the first ice and snow festival was held in Zhaoyuan County, Daqing City; Yichun held forest ice and snow happy season, forest snow festival and other activities; Heihe relies on its geographical advantages to build an international ice and snow tourism brand; The “500 meters long ice slide in the Northeast” was on the Weibo hot search list. The eight 500 meters long ice slides in Harbin Ice and Snow World attracted wide attention from the outside world.
Since the beginning of winter, Liaoning ice and snow events have been very exciting. All over the province, the activities were staged like a relay – the fifth Shenyang Ice Dragon Boat Competition, the third Shenyang Ice Sailing Competition, the eighth Liaoning Gongchangling Skiing Invitational Competition, the fourth Liaoning Provincial Park Ice rink Interactive Challenge, the 2023 Liaoning Panjin Ice Race across the northernmost coastline of China, the 2023 Liaoning Provincial Mass Skiing Series (Dandong Tianqiaogou Station) and other influential ice and snow events were held in groups, Set off an upsurge of ice and snow sports.
If you look to Linxia City, Gansu Province, as far away as the northwest, you will find that before the Spring Festival, the surrounding tours and short-distance tours with the theme of watching ice and playing snow are popular. The major scenic spots such as Nanlong Bishuiyuan, Wayaodi Park, Eastern Suburb Park, Bafang Thirteen Alleys, Hezhou Peony Cultural Park, etc., enrich winter tourism projects by exploring ice and snow resources, deeply integrate “ice and snow+culture+sports+tourism”, give full play to the advantages of snow, and do a good job of ice culture. Light shows, intangible cultural heritage shows, ice entertainment, and doll carnivals are staged in turn. With the continuous enrichment of ice and snow tourism resources, Linxia City is full of tourists in winter.
全国各地开发冰雪旅游资源的方式各不相同。北京延庆，主打“小而美”的冰雪景观，为人们提供了四处旅游的好去处；上海结合节假日推出12个户外流动冰场和嘉年华活动，让冰雪运动氛围更加浓厚；就连广东、四川、贵州等南方省份也开展了冰雪运动
民俗活动与冰雪文化融为一体
“Ice and snow tourism has revitalized traditional folk customs, created a number of tourism spaces and consumption scenes that are more modern, dynamic and fashionable, and is a creative transformation and innovative development of ice and snow culture.” Dai Bin, president of the China Academy of Tourism, said in this speech, referring to folk activities in the ice and snow season.
In Inner Mongolia, there are many such activities.
“Eight Immortals” is one of the traditional customs in the western region of Inner Mongolia. On the eighth day of the first month of each year, people will go out of their homes, climb mountains, and get close to nature. This year, many people choose to combine the ice and snow elements with this traditional customs. On the Donghe Ice rink located on the Ruyi River in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the artificial “snow mountain” is more than two people high, and people choose to “swim eight immortals” on the ice and snow.
当地颇受欢迎的传统民俗文化活动“转九曲”也通常在正月举行。玩法是在空旷的广场上摆设“九曲黄河阵”。人们从入口进入，一路蜿蜒曲折，最后从出口走出，象征着“年年顺”。今年，这项活动也搬到了滑雪场——以雪块为墙，雪墙上挂着红旗。前来体验的游客纷纷进入由雪制成的“九曲阵”，尽情观赏。
In Hulunbeier, on December 22, 2022, the 19th Ice and Snow Nadam and the 5th Winter Heroes’ Meeting of Hulunbeier in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region opened, and a series of ice and snow tourism products were created around the four themes of “watching events, appreciating scenery, interesting experience, and appreciating culture”. Riding horses, archery, playing the sun… The ice and snow Nadam has made the culture of all ethnic groups inherit, protect and prosper, and also made the “ice and snow is also the golden mountains and silver mountains” come true.
Since it is the Spring Festival, the folk activities on the ice and snow can not be without the New Year flavor.
During the Spring Festival holiday, in Meihekou City, Jilin Province, all kinds of ice and snow cultural tourism products full of the flavor of the year are favored by the people. Taking Zhibei Village, Hailong Lake, Wukui Mountain Snow World and other scenic spots as carriers, the local government vigorously develops ice and snow tourism to let citizens and tourists experience the ice and snow culture and the charm of ice and snow.
Some old ice and snow activities have become “new folk customs” familiar to local people.
1月5日，哈尔滨冰雪节开幕当天，一个头戴“小红帽”、面带笑容的巨大露天雪人出现在松花江哈尔滨段岸边。露天雪人高18米多，用雪量2000多立方米。那一夜，百年中央大街灯火通明。隔江相望的哈尔滨冰雪大世界，烟花点亮了园区内数百处冰雪景观。无数来自全国各地的游客前来宣传这些壮观的景观，并一次次登上微博热搜榜。
In the scenic area of China Snow Village, also located in Heilongjiang Province, during the winter operation period, activities such as float parade, Yangko performance, bonfire party, fireworks show and so on are regularly held every night. At the same time, cultural and tourism experience projects such as the Snow Village Culture Exhibition Hall, the Source of Snow Scenery Photography and Viewing Area, the Snow Village Woodcut Landscape Room, the Forest Train Memory Square and so on have been created and constructed. Here, the naturally formed “snow mushrooms”, red lanterns and log-colored bungalows, steaming baked sweet potatoes and iron pot stew together constitute a warm picture of the snowy sky in Northeast China. During the Spring Festival holiday alone, Xuexiang received 66000 tourists and 14000 tourists on the peak day.
In Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, where the Winter Olympic Games were held, on January 26th, the fifth day of the New Year, the square of Taiwu Ski Town in Chongli District was decorated with lanterns, drums and gongs, and the performance of dragon and lion dance attracted countless tourists. On the ski resort in the distance, a series of figures galloped down the ski path. Skiing is tired, and there is a wonderful folk performance at the foot of the mountain. According to the staff of the Publicity Department of the Chongli District Party Committee, during the Spring Festival in 2023, the major snow resort hotels in the district are basically full. Various snow resorts actively launch colorful cultural and recreational activities, so that tourists can enjoy the passion of ice and snow and feel the strong taste of the New Year.
Folk customs collide with ice and snow.
Promote the development of ice and snow industry
China is rich in ice and snow resources. From Harbin to Hulunbeier, from Changbai Mountain to Altay, from Beijing to Zhangjiakou… Ice and snow lovers can name numerous popular places for ice and snow events.
In order to comprehensively promote the high-quality development of ice and snow sports and ice and snow industry, all regions have been accelerating their pace, cultivating the ice and snow competition economy, ice and snow tourism economy, and ice and snow equipment manufacturing economy, and promoting the extension of the entire ice and snow industry chain.
毫无疑问，冰雪产业蕴藏着巨大的商机。中国旅游研究院预计，随着本土市场消费潜力的不断释放和长途冰雪旅游的回暖，我国冰雪休闲旅游人次仍有望突破3亿人次。 2022-2023年冰雪季节。到“十四五”末，我国冰雪休闲旅游人数预计将达到5.2亿人次，我国冰雪休闲旅游收入将达到7200亿元。冰雪旅游正成为冬季旅游和冰雪经济的核心引擎。
Policy support has become the guarantee for the development of ice and snow economy. In September 2019, the General Office of the State Council issued the Opinions on Promoting the National Fitness and Sports Consumption to Promote the High-quality Development of the Sports Industry, proposing to “support Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Northeast China and other regions to vigorously develop the ice and snow economy in cold regions”.
Some provinces have formulated targeted policies for the development of ice and snow industry according to their own development characteristics. For example, Jilin Province actively issued the Implementation Opinions on Making the Snow and Ice Industry Larger and Stronger, and formulated the High-quality Development Plan for the Snow and Ice Industry (2021-2035) and other policy measures; In 2022, Liaoning Province issued the “Implementation Plan for the High-Quality Development of the Ice and Snow Economy in Liaoning Province”, which made it clear that it should seize the golden opportunity for the leapfrog development of the ice and snow economy in the post-Beijing Winter Olympics era; In 2022, Heilongjiang Province prepared the “Development Plan of Ice and Snow Economy in Heilongjiang Province (2022-2030)”, issued the “Several Policies and Measures to Support the Development of Ice and Snow Economy in Heilongjiang Province”, and proposed to build the “Ice and Snow is also the Golden Mountain and Silver Mountain” pilot area and the post-Winter Olympics international ice and snow economy demonstration area
产业的发展离不开产业链的建设。
以河北省张家口市为例。近年来，张家口打造了高新区冰雪运动装备产业园和宣化区冰雪产业园两个大型冰雪装备研发制造集群，形成冰雪产业集群。集冰雪装备研发、设计、制造、检测、流通、仓储为一体的装备产业基地。目前，已引进冰雪产业项目109个，总投资556亿元。51个项目投产，全市冰雪产业集群初步形成。
For ordinary people, the hot development of the ice and snow industry also creates real job opportunities. For example, in Harbin, during the construction of Ice and Snow World, Ice Lantern Amusement Fair and Urban Ice Sculpture, nearly 1000 ice miners and ice carvers worked together every day. One ice picker said that he could earn about 10000 yuan in one ice harvest period; In Xuexiang, operating family hotels and restaurants can earn hundreds of thousands of yuan a year; In Beihong Village, North Pole Town, Mohe City, the northernmost village in China, hundreds of foreign tourists from the village reached 60000. Villagers have transformed their houses into family hotels or bars
This winter, the snow and ice are very hot!