Singaporean skaters gear up for Asian Winter Games debut

Singapore's national short track speed skating team is poised to make its debut at the upcoming 2025 Asian Winter Games which get underway in northeast China's Harbin City on Friday, with the athletes excited to hit the track after receiving valuable training support from China.

The week-long Games promises to be the largest ever edition of the regional sports event, with 1,270 competitors from 34 countries and regions set to take part.

While winter sports might not be synonymous with the tropical island nation of Singapore, a dedicated team of four skaters is ready to compete on the international stage after undergoing rigorous training under the guidance of experienced Chinese coach Zhao Yanzhi.

The Singaporean skaters have come a long way as they now prepare to test themselves in competition, and they expressed their gratitude for Coach Zhao's mentorship.

"She has put in a lot of effort, made a lot of sacrifices. I think she came from China with her family to a foreign country like Singapore, even though a lot of us speak Chinese, it's a foreign country, and she's still willing to coach us," said Pok Yan Kai Brandon, one of the skaters.

Another skater, Chua Amelia Rae-Lene, echoed these sentiments, highlighting Zhao's extensive knowledge and dedication.

"Coach Zhao is a very knowledgeable and dedicated coach, and we have learned so much, and grown under her a lot. China is like a powerhouse for the sport, so we still have so much to learn under her," she said.

Training winter athletes in a tropical environment presents unique challenges, but Zhao herself is optimistic about the team's progress.

"When I first arrived, they already had a solid foundation. My role was to refine their basics and build up their strength. Over the past six years, they've worked hard and improved tremendously. I wanted to support them as the country's winter sports have been steadily growing. I happened to join them at a key stage, coinciding with the children's early growth. The athletes' performances have really surprised me in a good way," said Zhao.

The close partnership between the ice skating associations of China and Singapore over the last decade has been instrumental in developing Singapore's winter sports talent. Under an agreement between the two sides, experienced Chinese coaches like Zhao have been sent to the Southeast Asian nation to help nurture the next generation of athletes.

Alicia Tan, secretary general of the Singapore Ice Skating Association, emphasized the importance of this collaboration.

"We signed an agreement with China to promote short track, and to develop our athletes, coaches and officials under China's mentorship, and coach Zhao Yanzhi was recommended through this agreement to Singapore. Our team has actually clocked new personal bests, new national records under her guidance, and we must say that it's thanks to the guidance and mentorship of China through our partnership," said Alicia Tan.

For these skaters competing on this stage for the first time, Coach Zhao says the main goal is to gain vital experience, observe international competitors, and perform at their highest level.

Despite the challenges posed by Singapore's lack of natural ice, the athlete's passion and preparation, coupled with guidance from China's seasoned coaches, has prepared them well as they get ready to take on Asia's finest competitors.

"I think it'll be good if we can get some good positions, and I think it'll be good if our efforts will show in our results. I think ultimately, this will be like a good experience and exposure to all of us," said Pok Jing Ying Alyssa, another Singaporean skater.

Held under the theme "Dream of Winter, Love among Asians," the Games will be the first major international winter sports competition to be hosted in China since the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Singaporean skaters gear up for Asian Winter Games debut

Eric Foster, nephew of U.S. journalist Edgar Snow, said he has spent more than 12 years writing a book to present the real China to the world, following in the footsteps of his uncle who chronicled China's revolutionary in the 1930s and 1940s.

This November, Foster traveled to Yan'an City in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, where Edgar Snow ventured deep into China's revolutionary heartland. Yan'an hosted the headquarters of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and was the center of the Communist revolution from 1935 to 1948.

In 1936, at a time when China was embroiled in internal conflict and external aggression, Snow made his way to the remote headquarters of the CPC in Yan'an. As the first Western journalist to enter the area, he conducted extensive interviews and careful documentation there.

Snow's reporting culminated in "Red Star Over China," in which he painted a picture of a resilient, promising country that the world rarely saw, and challenged the world's misunderstandings and prejudices about China.

Foster visited a former residence of Mao Zedong, where Snow met Mao for the first time.

"My uncle and Mao actually sat down here, and this is where Mao Zedong told my uncle about the Long March, and lots of other very important information," said Foster, who then introduced in detail how Snow took Mao's "public relation picture for the West."

"Mao was standing, he was standing right here. My uncle was getting ready to take a picture of Mao. And it's a very important picture, his public relations picture for the West. And he was going to take a picture, but Mao's hair was quite long. So, my uncle said, 'Hey, does somebody have a pair of scissors?’ And so they got a pair of scissors and they cut Mao's hair. And then he brushed it back, and so he's going to take the picture again. But something still was not right, and then he had the idea. I know, they took his hat off, put it on Mao, and that's the story behind that hat on Mao. It's actually my uncle's hat," said Foster.

"So it is quite remarkable how simple life was, and when you can imagine what came out of this simple room, the percussions that affected history, not only history of China, but the whole world, what came out of this room here," Foster said.

Foster was presented a replica of the octagonal cap given by Snow to Mao Zedong.

"As I put on this cap, I can almost feel the weight it carried in those days. It feels not merely like nostalgia, but more like a form of inheritance. What they (my uncle and my aunt) tried to do with their life, is to try to build a bridge between the two countries. As my aunt said that, the people-to-people between China and America is so important. Because the politics is like the weather, it changes all the time, so the people-to-people is what's really important. We need to build that bridge between the people-to- people. So I want to try to do what my aunt and uncle did, to promote China to the world. And then I thought, oh I need to write a book, that's what I need to do. This is what I've been doing for last 12 years or 13 years. My book tries to tell the true history about China, to help whoever reads it in America or other Western countries to see the real China," said Foster.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Snow paid three further visits to the country. He remained interested in China following his visits, and firmly supported the just cause of the Chinese people. He has therefore come to be regarded as a lifelong friend of the Chinese people.

With a notebook in his hand and moral clarity in his heart, Snow constructed an unprecedented bridge of mutual respect and understanding between China and the rest of the world that still stands today.

Edgar Snow's nephew aims to present real China to world