Taiwan ice hockey coach achieves goal in Wuhan

He participated in many ice hockey tournaments both on the island and elsewhere, and after his graduation he ran an ice hockey club.

The island has few ice rinks, as Taiwan's hot climate means they would run up high maintenance costs. Instead, roller hockey, which is played on a dry surface using roller skates, is the preferred version of the sport among islanders, Huang said.

"It's similar to skating on ice and they use similar gestures," he said, adding that it is also suitable to be adopted in the warm south of the mainland as the authorities seek to promote ice-related sports.

Expecting the Winter Olympics to bring more opportunities to the ice sports industry on the mainland, he arrived in Wuhan in July 2020, just three months after the city ended its 76-day lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

"The first few months were quite stressful. I had nothing in the city except for the two suitcases I brought," he said. Huang initially gave free lessons to children at a local rink and gradually some students started learning from him, due to his lively and encouraging teaching method.

"Because this sport is not common here, children feel curious, especially when they see the puck, a small rubber disc that is used instead of a ball," he said.