Ice and snow carnival opens in China's Jiangsu

The sixth annual ice and snow carnival has opened at Longfeng Valley ski resort in the city of Changzhou, East China's Jiangsu province, and will last until February 10.

Longfeng Valley ski resort has held the event for five consecutive years. In addition to skiing, activities such as snow tubing and curling will also be held at the resort that occupies an area of 20,000 square meters and is able to receive 3,000 visitors daily.

As the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics approaches, winter sports are gaining popularity in the coastal province, with 45 winter sports venues having been built.

To inspire people's passion for winter sports, Jiangsu has issued winter sports consumer vouchers for four consecutive years. Vouchers totaling five million yuan ($786,000) were issued last year.

Ski resorts in the cities of Changzhou, Xuzhou and Huai'an are built near scenic spots in order to attract more visitors.

A recent survey by China's National Bureau of Statistics shows that 26 million people in Jiangsu have participated in winter sports.