A glimpse into thriving ice and snow industry in Xinjiang

On her first trip to Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Li Peiling, a tourist hailing from the south, chose to experience the delights of a ski resort nestled in the Tianshan Mountains.

"I discovered through social media that this is the warmest ski resort in Xinjiang, and it's conveniently located near the renowned Tianchi Lake," said Li, brimming with excitement.

Though it starts operations relatively late in the winter season, the Tianshan Tianchi international ski resort has garnered popularity among ski enthusiasts due to its mild winter temperatures and proximity to various other scenic spots. "Thanks to livestreaming, our popularity has surged, attracting over 2,000 visitors daily at peak times," said Liu Yang, the marketing director of the ski resort.

With winter sports gaining momentum across China, Xinjiang is leveraging its prolonged snow seasons, high-quality snow and diverse terrains to establish top-notch skiing resorts. Two major ice and snow tourism belts have emerged along the Tianshan and Altay mountain ranges.

Jia Rui, an official with the Culture and Tourism Department of Xinjiang, noted that the region now boasts 188 ice and snow venues. During the 2022-2023 snow season, the region's S-level ski resorts hosted over 2 million visitors.

At the Jiangjun Mountain International Ski Resort in Altay prefecture, even with temperatures plummeting to around minus 20 degrees Celsius, well-equipped skiers queue up in front of chairlifts and cable cars, eager to hit the snowy trails.

Altay has been revered as the birthplace of skiing since ancient cave paintings depicting the Stone Age skiers were discovered in the prefecture in 2005. The area has seen the busiest time of the year since the snow season began, with the Jiangjun Mountain ski resort alone welcoming an average of more than 5,000 visitors every day.

In 2023, the construction of two resort clusters with a total investment of 2.5 billion yuan (about $351.63 million) kicked off in Altay. According to the local tourism authority, 71 new hotels, guesthouses and homestays have recently commenced operations, providing a total of 52,000 bed spaces for winter vacationers.

"Coming to Altay to ski on fresh powder is one of the best experiences in the skiing community," said skiing enthusiast Wang Hanyu, who has frequented Altay for several years. This year, she plans to embark on a self-driving tour of the surrounding areas before indulging in skiing.