An increasing number of tourists are flocking to ski resorts in China's cold wintry north, as the country's ice and snow tourism market keeps rolling out various sports services and entertainment programs to meet the growing demand.
In Wu'an County of north China's Hebei Province, ski resorts are benefiting from an integrated winter tourism industry on the basis of local geographical and cultural resources, to attract visitors who also have interest in trying ski for the first time in their life.
A scenic spot right near the foot of Taihang Mountains is seeing 30 percent more tourists coming to try ice sports, as compared with the same period of last year.
"I learned from online posts that there are lots of interesting ice and snow events here in Wu'an. So, I've come with my friends, and we've had an exciting and amazing experience here," said Zhang Ziyao, a tourist.
For first-time skiers, this winter gives them an opportunity to break out of the beginners' zone. In Shanyin County of north China's Shanxi Province, a beginner skier who tried slide-down on an icy slope said the sport is not as difficult as she imagined.
"I'm from Taiyuan City and I just had my second skiing lesson. In terms of how I feel, I found skiing to be difficult, but now I'm getting the hang of it and enjoying it," she said.
Ski resorts welcome surging number of first-time visitors amid winter tourism boom
As China's 15th Five-Year Plan enters its inaugural year, Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, a re-elected Hong Kong deputy in the National People's Congress, said he hopes Hong Kong can better integrate into and contribute to the nation's overall development.
That involves ensuring Hong Kong's voice is heard in the development of national strategies, while effectively communicating the central government's vision to the people of Hong Kong, Fok said.
This year, Fok brought nine proposals to the ongoing 14th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, covering different areas including sports, culture, aviation and consumption.
"I'm always very concerned about sports and culture. This is where really my heart lies. But I think as a deputy I should also have a much broader [vision], not just concentrate on one specific area. So, of course, I mentioned about sports and also Greater Bay Area sports. But another issue, maybe first time I brought it to the table, is about our aviation hub. How do we keep up with the race with all the regional hubs also rising at the same time? This is our core strategy, core competence in Hong Kong and how do we make it better," Fok said in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) released on Saturday.
In the 2026 Government Work Report delivered by Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the opening session of the 14th NPC on Thursday, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is encouraged to build itself into a world-class city cluster.
The report also pledged to develop the Greater Bay Area into an international center for scientific and technological innovation.
"I also think about the national objectives, what are the important milestones we are trying to hit in the next five years, next 10 years. China has been doing so well and it's such a great exporter to the world as a part of the world village. But we need to strengthen ourselves by increasing consumption. Actually, consumption should be the core of our engine. We should enable our own population to be able to consume more to boost the economy," he said.
China's NPC deputy discusses how HK can better integrate into country’s overall development
