A playground of snow and ice

China's bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics has interest in snow sports booming. Photo provided to China Daily

"We started various activities for students, such as spring and autumn outings, and winter and summer camps. We get more than 20,000 students a summer. And 2,000 teens attend our summer camp. More Chinese teens are falling in love with skiing."

So are older and younger people, Xu says.

"Many practice indoors in the summer and ski in places like Japan, Europe or the United States in wintertime."

China is supporting its 2022 Olympics bid with backing from perhaps the most iconic 2008 Beijing Games' venue - the Bird's Nest.

The venue will host the opening and closing ceremonies if China's proposal is successful.

The stadium last month staged the 2014-15 FIS (International Ski Federation) Freestyle Skiing World Cup and Air + Style's snowboarding competition Air and Style Contest.

It opened the sixth consecutive Happy Snow Festival on Jan 10.

The landmark has already adorned a frozen lake inside the park with lanterns designed like people and buildings, flora and fauna.

The 70,000-square-meter area - the largest of its kind in the capital - is divided into zones for ski jumping, skating, biathlons and kids' sledding.

A 10,000-square-meter ski slope with a jump that's 15 meters high and 110 meters long has also been constructed in the square south of the Bird's Nest - a festival first. The 25,000-square-meter main area hosts 11 activities.