Ice-snow tourism booming in China as Beijing Winter Olympics approach

The Snow village was formerly a forest farm, and Fan once worked there as a logger. The development of ice-snow tourism has benefited both local economic upgrading and environmental protection efforts.

Over recent years, the Chinese people's fervor for winter sports has also been on the rise, with night skiing in the spotlight. Experts have noted that the night-skiing economy has become a new economic driving force in northern China.

The Songhuahu Ski Field, a well-reputed urban ski resort in Jilin city, Jilin province, introduced night skiing sessions in 2016, and the number of participants has grown from 30,000 to around 100,000 in 2021, according to Wang Jiayu, a manager at the resort.

"Night skiing is a perfect way for me to deal with stress," said frequent visitor Zhang Tian. "It has become an integral part of my winter entertainment."

Business-savvy people are now catching up with the latest trend, building up catering and hospitality services as well as hot springs around ski resorts. Zhao Chunjie, who has been an avid skier for 10 years, recently opened a homestay near the Songhuahu resort.

"My homestay can accommodate over 100 guests, and tourists from south China have been accounting for 70 to 80 percent of the total," he said, noting that the homestay is already fully booked for the Lunar New Year holiday in February.

Zhao is quite confident about his business. "I believe that more people will engage in ice and snow sports after the 2022 Winter Olympics conclude," he said.