Co-host Zhangjiakou benefits from Winter Olympics legacy

Winter Olympics co-host Zhangjiakou, in Hebei province, has developed its winter sports industry rapidly as more Chinese people get involved in skiing and snowboarding.

Industry insiders believe the city will continue to benefit as the legacy of the Games boosts its winter sports economy.

A recent survey by the National Bureau of Statistics found about 346 million Chinese had taken part in winter sports between 2015, when Beijing's bid to host the Games was successful, and October last year.

The opening of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-Speed Railway at the end of 2019 reduced travel time between the cities from about three hours to 53 minutes.

It's now convenient for Beijing residents to spend a weekend skiing in Zhangjiakou's Chongli district, which hosted Olympic skiing and snowboard events.

"We're looking forward to the post-Olympics era. Thanks to the construction of infrastructure and public transport in Zhangjiakou, the general public is able to benefit from the legacy of the Games," said Zhang Litao, general manager of Chongli's Fulong Ski Resort.

"I've witnessed great changes in Chongli, from being a rural area to a famous place for skiing. It has seven ski resorts, and many employees are locals. The number of tourist visits increases every year."

Zhang said he is confident that Zhangjiakou's winter sports and hospitality industry is well prepared to welcome tourists from all over the country.

The ski season in Zhangjiakou lasts from October to early April. In summer, tourists can enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking and cycling at the resort.

"Beijing's successful bid for the Games has given a significant push to the development of domestic snow sports apparel, accessories and heavy equipment," he said.

Zhang said more Chinese skiers and snowboarders are buying their own skis, snowboards and related clothing and protective gear.

The ski resort bought two domestically made cableways in 2016, which Zhang said matched the quality of much more expensive overseas counterparts it had previously purchased.

Zhangjiakou has China's only ice and snow sports equipment industrial park, which manufactures not only apparel and accessories, like snowboards and ski suits and boots, but also heavy equipment such as snowmakers, snow groomers and cableways. The first phase involved investment of over 1.14 billion yuan ($180 million).

"In the past, if a snow groomer broke down, we had to wait for one or two months until a machine part was mailed from overseas," Zhang said. "But now, a master workman from the industrial park will show up on-site as soon as we give a call."

In October 2018, Italian snowmaking company TechnoAlpin, which had served six previous Winter Olympics, opened a branch in the industrial park.

"We could better serve the Games from Zhangjiakou, which is also convenient for us to keep in touch with other customers," said Pierpaolo Salusso, general manager of TechnoAlpin's Zhangjiakou subsidiary, which provided the 2022 Winter Games with 300 snowmakers. "We believe that after the Games, the development of winter sports in China will continue, so we want to support the market."

He said its sales in China have increased steadily, with major customers from the provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Sichuan.

Bai Jianhai, an official at the Zhangjiakou High-tech Industrial Development Zone, said it has been working hard to build a whole winter sports industry chain in Zhangjiakou.

He said the industrial park has helped overseas and domestic brands establish manufacturing operations in Zhangjiakou and promoted them in the market. It also encourages companies to research and develop new products.

Bai said the industrial park's turnover between 2019 and 2021 was about 700 million yuan.

He said that in the city's Wanquan district, winter sports are compulsory courses at primary, middle and high schools. Last year, over 24,000 students engaged in winter sports.

"It's expensive to play winter sports, but children can foster their interest and improve their skills via such courses at school," he said.

Students can also play at the industrial park's training center for free, to try ski simulators, curling on synthetic ice and roller hockey.