Grassroots gains

Cities across China have been hosting various Winter Olympics-themed activities and competitions, designed to accommodate all skill levels.

Other parts of China are also getting in on the act. Inner Mongolia autonomous region, for instance, kicked off an ice and snow festival in early January, with the schedule packed full of activities until April. Locals and tourists from across the nation can experience winter sports and related recreational activities, such as cycling on ice.

"With the arrival of the Winter Olympics, the people of Inner Mongolia autonomous region have become more and more passionate about ice and snow sports. With the 8th National Public Ice and Snow Season starting, we will have over 130 activities such as winter sports tournaments, ice and snow tourism and related festivals," said Qin Ying, an official of the local sports bureau.

"In the future we will further facilitate the construction of winter sports venues and the development of winter sports at grassroots level."

In Northwest China's Gansu province, the Baiyin national snow event training base is welcoming a growing number of young winter sports lovers.

The local government has also incorporated winter sports into physical education classes in elementary and middle schools.

Among the students excited to try snow and ice sports recently was Wu Chenghui, who had four hours of basic skiing training with his classmates.

"I am excited that the Beijing Winter Olympics are about to start. I will watch the skiing competitions on TV," the 12-year-old Wu told Xinhua. "I hope my parents will take me skiing more times this winter."

The Baiyin national training base was built in late 2019, and features a ski service center with over 100 rooms, a 75,000-square-meter ski resort, an indoor training hall and a biathlon course.

The base hosted the 2020-21 China cross-country skiing championships last January, when it welcomed 200 athletes and coaches from more than 20 teams across China.

Apart from professional athletes, the base hopes to attract more young people to enjoy the charm of winter sports.

"I hope that more and more children will enjoy winter sports. We all cheer for the Beijing Winter Olympics," Lu Wen, manager of the Huada resort, told Xinhua.

"More than 2,000 local primary and middle school students have taken part in winter sports at the resort."

Shanghai, meanwhile, is working hard to help winter sports flourish at grassroots level. According to the 14th Five-Year Plan for Shanghai's sports development, the city will play a key role in promoting winter sports in southern and eastern China.

Shanghai began launching winter sports projects on school campuses in December 2018. The city now has 40"Winter Olympic model schools" and 73 schools classified as having a "winter sports focus".