China's ice and snow economy is rapidly gaining momentum, with growing excitement for winter sports driving resort bookings, event ticket sales and product purchases.
A packed schedule of winter sports events certified by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) has kicked off, bringing together athletes from around the world in places like north China's Chongli, which hosted events for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
The events have also attracted fans, who are eager to improve their own skiing skills during their stay in the district.
"We came from Beijing, and we're here for skiing, vacationing, and watching competitions. We'll stay for about a month," said Mr. Jiang, a visitor from Beijing.
Boosted by major winter sports events, tourism in Beijing and north China's Hebei is experiencing explosive growth. During competition days, the daily peak attendance at Genting Snow Park in Chongli has exceeded 8,000 visits -- three times the number recorded on the opening day of the slopes.
"Thanks to the recent events, our 3,500 hotel rooms are essentially fully booked every weekend, and this trend may continue through late December," said Ke Yang, media head of the marketing department at a ski resort in Chongli.
So far, eight of Chongli's nine ski resorts have opened for the season, receiving more than 751,700 visits in total. To further unlock consumption potential, Chongli has introduced themed events such as sunset parties and opened direct shuttle routes connecting Beijing Capital International Airport, Daxing International Airport, and Beijing South Railway Station to Chongli, improving travel convenience for visitors.
Meanwhile, with winter sports booming nationwide, the Yiwu International Trade Market, the world's largest wholesale market for small commodities located in the city of Yiwu in east China's Zhejiang Province, is experiencing an order boom, with sharp increases in overseas and domestic demand for ice-snow products such as ice skates and ski goggles.
Recently, a foreign buyer was impressed by a display of hundreds of ski goggle models at the trade market and promptly purchased sample products after consulting with the shop owner. According to the buyer, the goggles feature good material and high-quality lenses for a favorable price.
From Yiwu, the goggles will go to meet demand from skiers and snowboarders around the world.
"Sales are good. Orders from Russia are larger, and we also export to Europe and South America. Domestic ski organizations also buy from us," said Zheng Zhihao, the store owner.
Behind the surge in orders is the strong production capacity of local manufacturers. At a ski gear factory of a local sports equipment company, production lines are running at full tilt. The company launched its ski goggle production line seven years ago, and sales have grown significantly in recent years.
"Our output of ski goggles was about one million units last year. This year, it has increased by around 20 percent," said Wang Jiadie, a staff member at the company.
In addition to ski goggles, a local snowboard manufacturer is buzzing with activity, with production orders already lined up through March 2026.
China's winter sports economy booms as sporting events boost excitement
