Arona Huang, like most Chinese parents, had football and tennis lessons on the weekend schedule for her child.
But the destination of choice now for her son Aaron, who is six, is the ski slopes in Beijing’s suburbs, one of dozens that have sprouted in the past five years as China prepared for the Winter Olympic Games, which began on Friday.
When Beijing won the bid in 2015, the Chinese government saw both a pride project – securing the distinction of becoming the first city to host both the summer and winter games – and a massive sporting and commercial opportunity.
China has never been a winter sport nation. In the past six years, however, there has been a more than 300% increase in the number of skating rinks. The country has in this time also added more than 250 new ski resorts, with the total number now crossing 800.
Aaron Huang (6) on the ski slopes near Beijing.
Skiing was previously the preserve of the rich, given the few options in China and the preference of the wealthy to usually head to Europe. That has now changed.
After companies such as the firm where she works began organising annual retreats in ski – and not the usual beach – resorts, she enrolled her child in skiing winter camps. “A day on the slopes,” she said, “is now not much more than buying one ticket to see the Forbidden City”, costing a little over 100 Yuan (around ₹1,000) if you have your own equipment.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, as China shut its doors to the world – which are still yet to open two years later with stringent travel restrictions – the usual huge outflow of international tourism was instead directed inwards. Among the service industries that capitalised the most, according to tourism data, were ski resorts, with more than 300 million trips in 2021-22 related to winter sports.
China’s cold northeast, which receives plenty of snowfall, is home to many of the resorts. But closer to the arid capital, artificial snow is being used in towns like Chongli which is hosting many of the events this month. Unlike for recreational activities which do not require heavy snowfall, there are strict standards and density requirements for the Olympics. Man-made snow had to be used in the previous two games in South Korea and Russia as well.
That has triggered a debate about the environmental impact, with reports estimating that 49 million gallons of water will be used in a part of the country that suffers from water shortages. Organisers point out that is only a small fraction of daily water consumption in Beijing, accounting for less than 2 per cent of the usage in Yanqing district which is hosting events. In Chongli, the water demand for the games will account for a higher 10 per cent of the normal usage. To mitigate that consumption, conduits have been built in Yanqing to direct the snowmelt to reservoirs, along with a new sewage treatment plant. That is less of a problem in the country’s northeast, in provinces like Jilin, or in Xinjiang in the far west which is also on a resort-building spree, that receive heavy snow.
Part of the attraction for a new generation of winter sports enthusiasts is both the novelty of a new experience and the thrills involved, even if the expenses are higher, albeit decreasing, with the surfeit of new venues. “You have to overcome strong fear when pushing yourself to go down steeper slopes,” said Rebecca Luo, a national certified ski instructor. “But if you do, you find fulfillment.”
She said this winter was the busiest by far of the past five seasons she has seen on the country’s slopes. But even after the glare of the Olympics subsides, skiers expect the crowds aren’t likely to thin. At least, that is what China’s latest booming industry is betting on.
Published - February 05, 2022 07:16 pm IST
