Beijing volunteers bring spirit to the Games

Beijing has established 758 stations to offer such services as information and cultural promotion for the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, an official said on Wednesday.

That is in addition to services that will be provided in the closed-loop system that Beijing has established for the Olympics.

The volunteers are mostly students, as well as retirees and white-collar workers.

There are 16 stations near Games venues, 149 in busy downtown areas and 507 in neighborhoods and villages, said Li Junhui, executive director of Beijing's volunteer headquarters for the Games.

The volunteer services, which will be offered throughout the Olympics from Feb 4 to 20 and the Paralympics from March 4 to 13, mainly include interpretation, emergency rescue, cultural promotion, environmental protection, security and assistance for people with disabilities, Li said at a news conference hosted by the 2022 Beijing Media Center.

"After the Games, we'll continue to operate some of the volunteer stations according to the city's and residents' needs," he said.

Jia Shiquan, deputy head of Yanqing district's volunteer headquarters for the Beijing Olympics, told the news conference they have provided volunteers with disposable gloves, masks, disinfectants and medicines to assist with COVID control.

Cold weather is volunteers' greatest challenge. They have been given down jackets, vests and heating pads.

Wu Yana, who works at a shopping mall in Beijing, was a volunteer for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She said she feels proud her city can host two Olympics and feels obligated to contribute.

"I felt personal satisfaction when I helped other people solve problems," she said.

She added that her husband and daughter regularly join various volunteer activities.

The spirit of volunteering has developed rapidly in the Chinese capital in recent years.

Over 4.4 million people and 80,000 groups have registered on the city's official volunteer platform. Beijing has also set up an association, a guidance center, a research center and a foundation for volunteers.